Rei Ryghts: Ace Attorney- The Mech Suit's Turnabout
by DeraldSny
Summary: When Nepgear is accused of hijacking a mech suit and destroying the annual Planeptune Higher Learning Institute Robot Expo, the only attorney that can possibly clear her name is... Rei Ryghts?
1. Prologue

Hello! This is my first time writing such a long fanfiction... Hopefully I'll be able to see it through, unlike so many stories I've seen on here... With that, enjoy this prologue!

Rei Ryghts: Ace Attorney

The Mech-Suit's Turnabout

by Derald Snyder

Prologue

H-hello, everyone. My name is Rei Ryghts. If you've played Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory, then you probably know who I am…

W-Wait! Don't panic! I-I'm not like that anymore, I swear! I-I've turned over a new leaf! …*ahem* Sorry… Anyway, I probably should clarify that I'm the Rei Ryghts from the Hyperdimension… y-you know, the one who was still human, until the other Rei gave me some of her power and ended up making me go berserk…

*shudder* Ugh, I don't want to talk about that! Let's talk about after that, when I regained my senses. The last you saw of me in the game was being forced by IF to help repair the damage I'd done to Planeptune City, even though I had no recollection of what actually happened… Not long after, I was put on trial for crimes against humanity, however, thanks to testimony from Neptune and Nepgear themselves (much to my surprise), I was found Not Guilty by reason of insanity. So instead of being thrown in a dark, deep hole to rot for the rest of eternity, I was exiled to the cold, snowy nation of Lowee instead, where the resident CPU, Blanc, promised she'd be keeping a very close eye on me.

I tried my best to start over, but many of the people in Lowee had heard of me and my past wrongdoings, which made it very difficult to find steady employment… until a defense attorney by the name of Bartholomew J. Samson took pity on me and hired me to work at his law office.

Under his tutelage, I managed to become a decent defense attorney in my own right, following in my boss' footsteps of saving the innocent from near-certain guilty verdicts, especially since Lowee doesn't have jury trials… Thanks to that, I've managed to repair my reputation somewhat, to the point where I can now walk the streets without people screaming and running away… Though, I do still get wary looks from some people…

…what's that? You want to hear about a case I worked on? Oh, I'm sorry! So, so, sorry! I got a little long-winded there… *ahem* R-right. Well, let me think here… Okay, how about one of my more recent cases, featuring some familiar faces, which also forced me to confront some ghosts from my past…

 _June 6, 12:17 PM_

 _District Court_

 _Courtroom No. 1_

"…So you see, Your Honor, my client, Allen Roman, could *not* have murdered the victim, Julie Broker… because said victim was and is, still very much alive!"

The crowd erupted into chatters of disbelief as said 'victim' stood in the center of the courtroom, handcuffs on her wrists, her beautiful face marred by an angry, vindictive expression.

"The truth is, Ms. Broker faked her death and staged the crime scene in order to frame my client, as revenge for apparently being cheated on," Rei Ryghts explained to the judge, whose eyes were wide with disbelief, as were the prosecutor's.

"Julie! Why?!" cried Allen, looking on the verge of tears. "I said I was sorry a hundred thousand times over! How could you do this to me?!"

"Because, *Roman*…" the woman growled, "I had to teach you a lesson, that you would never, *ever* forget!" Her voice grew louder as she continued her rant. "And now, Roman…" she shivered with barely-contained rage. "Roman, now you know! There is no price I will not pay… no depth, that I will not stoop, to make your life, here in Gamindustri, a total, complete, living, HELL!" Allen could only drop his head onto the witness stand sobbing. "And I would have gotten away with it, too, if it hadn't been for *this* psycho goddess!"

Rei simply gave her trademark 'psycho smirk' in response. "And now you're going to be a good girl and have the bailiff escort you to a holding cell, *right*?"

Julie's expression shifted from anger to terror as she backed up several steps, nearly colliding with said bailiff. Turning to him, she squeaked, "Y…you heard the lady! G-get me outta here…!" Said bailiff simply rolled his eyes as he clapped a hand on the woman's shoulder, before turning and escorting her out of the courtroom.

The judge shook his head in disbelief. "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, as they say… What a bittersweet ending to this trial. I suppose I'll just go ahead and render the verdict then… This court finds the defendant, Allen Roman, Not Guilty." He banged his gavel. "That is all, court is dismissed."

There was no confetti this time.

 _June 6, 12:38 PM_

 _District Court_

 _Defendant Lobby No. 1_

Allen sat on the bench, still crying from his heartbreak. Rei was sitting next to him, rubbing his back in sympathy.

"Why, Julie…? I would have gladly taken you back if you'd let me… why?"

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Roman… but sometimes, the truth isn't always pretty," Rei said. "If you want my personal opinion… that girl had some real issues under the surface. I mean, pulling such disproportionate retribution for one moment of infidelity… If it were me-er…" she stopped for a moment, considering. "…i-if it were any *normal* person, that is, she'd have just given you some choice words and a slap to the face. T-that's what I think, anyway…"

"I would gladly have taken it…" Allen sighed, his waterworks appearing to have finally dried up for the moment.

Rei looked him in the eye. "With all due respect, Mr. Roman, you need to forget about her and move on… for your own sake."

"Yeah, you're right…" he sighed. "It's probably for the best…"

"Well, it certainly was a twist *I* didn't see coming… and I'm usually the main character!" a slightly high-pitched feminine voice cut in. Lawyer and client looked up at this, to see none other than…

"Neptune?" Rei squeaked in surprise. "W-what are you doing here?!"

Allen blinked in shock. "Neptune? As in CPU of Planeptune?!"

"Hey, hey, it's coolsies," Neptune addressed the man. She was dressed in her usual hoodie and D-pad hair clips. "No need to bow to me or anything like that. Just wanted to see how Rei was doing with her lawyering career and stuff."

"Oh really?" the lawyer in question sighed. "Let me guess, you came to visit Blanc, but she was busy and blew you off, telling you something along the lines of 'Why don't you go watch one of Rei's trials instead'…"

Neptune gasped and clutched her chest in mock surprise. "Oh my goodness, what an amazingly clever deduction! It's a critical hit!"

Allen blinked, before turning back to Rei. "Is she always like this?"

"Pretty much, yes."

"Good thing I don't live in Planeptune, then…."

"Gah! Another critical!" Neptune stumbled and fell onto her backside. "Well, I'm dead. Hope you're happy…"

Rei rolled her eyes as she walked over and pulled the CPU back to her feet. "Could you please cut that out? You're embarrassing me…"

"Well then, allow me to make it up to you!" Neptune twirled away from Rei and flourished. "Congratulations, Rei Ryghts! You've just won an all-expenses-paid trip to Planeptune!"

"Eh…? W-wait, WHAT?!" The lawyer's eyes went wide with disbelief. "Y-you can't be serious! I c-can't go back th-there! T-the moment anyone s-sees me, I-I'll be l-lynched for sure!"

"Oh, that's easily solved," Neptune chuckled. "We'll just disguise you! No one in Planeptune'll know it's you when I'm done!"

"I d-don't like the sound of th-that at all…!" Rei stuttered as she slowly backed away.

The goddess rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, it's not like I'd put you under the knife or anything! Actually, I dunno why people do that in the first place… why not just be happy with the face you've got? But, anyway…" Walking back up to Rei, she glanced her over. "Okies, first things first, we *gotta* get rid of this!" Her hands closed around Rei's horn-like protrusion…

"Ow, hey, stop it! D-don't pull on it like that!" The former goddess yelled in pain. Thankfully, Neptune complied.

"OK… guess we'll work on that later. But in the meantime…" Rei found herself grabbed by the collar and being dragged out of the lobby. "…let's do some shopping, get you some new threads! Oh, I know! How 'bout a hoodie? Those are all the rage… and we should probably get you some new glasses, change up your hairstyle a bit…"

"U-um, I'll send the bill to you later!" the lawyer cried out to Allen as she was dragged off.

"Yeah, sure…" Allen called back to her just before she was pulled out of sight. (What the heck just happened…?)

To be continued...


	2. Investigation, Day 1 (Part 1)

So, here's the first real chapter! I originally planned for the first day of investigation to be one chapter, but it took too long and I had to split it up. The next part should be coming out soon... For now, enjoy!

Rei Ryghts: Ace Attorney

The Mech-Suit's Turnabout

by Derald Snyder

Investigation- Day 1 (Part 1)

 _June 7, 11:21 AM_

 _Main Gate_

 _Planeptune Higher Learning Institute_

"Rei, we're here."

There was no response. Purple Heart, the HDD form of Neptune, heaved a sigh as she set her passenger on the ground, who was sound asleep.

"Rei, please wake up, we have arrived." Still nothing. "Very well then. You leave me no other choice." Reverting to normal, Neptune put her pinky fingers to the corners of her mouth, then emitted a long, high-pitched whistle.

That did the trick. "WAAHHH! I'm up, I'm up!" The former goddess leapt to her feet in panic. "Wait, where are we?"

"Planeptune, of course!" Neptune replied. Shaking her head, she continued, "Boy, you must've been run ragged from all your lawyering, you were sawing logs the whole way here!"

"I was? Oh, I-I'm sorry! I'm so, so, very sorry! I'll t-try to be more alert next time!"

"Oh, stop that!" Neptune rolled her eyes, though her tone was more amused than annoyed. "Rei Ryghts might act that way, but 'Yuu Kobayashi' doesn't!"

"Huh? O-oh, right, my alias…" Rei pulled at her new outfit. "Ugh, this hoodie is so hot and uncomfortable… How come you aren't sweating?" She was now wearing a purple hoodie and blue skirt, with long socks and sneakers. Her hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail, and her regular glasses had been replaced with a pair of sunglasses, to hide her eyes. Her horn protrusion had also somehow been removed(We probably don't want to know the details on that).

"Actually, it *is* kinda hot today… hopefully there'll be drinks inside or something." Neptune wiped her brow.

"Inside…?" 'Yuu Kobayashi' looked and saw a large copper sign at the side of the gate. "'Planeptune Higher Learning Institute'? N-no offense meant, but that doesn't seem like the place for you…"

"Hey, I'm not stupid, I'm just lazy!" The CPU protested. "Besides, we're here to meet someone, anyway…"

"R-really? Who, exactly?"

"NEPTUNE!" A girl with long flowing purple hair, the same shade as Neptune's, ran up and grabbed the goddess in an affectionate embrace. She wore a single D-pad clip in her hair like Neptune, however, unlike her, she was dressed in a button-up sailor uniform instead of a hoodie. "You're here! I thought you weren't gonna come…!"

"Like I would let my little sister down?" Neptune chuckled. The other girl released her embrace so she could look her sister in the eye. "I'm guessing Histy told you I ran off to Lowee?"

"Yes, and she also said you told her you were going to bring someone to join us at this event… She didn't buy it, though."

"Well, she's gonna have to eat crow this time!" Neptune proclaimed with a big smile, before gesturing to Rei. "Ta-daa!"

"Um… H-hello there," Rei bowed nervously.

Nepgear blinked several times in confusion. "Uh, sis…? Is this who I think it is? And why is she dressed like that?"

Neptune looked around to make sure no-one else was nearby, before putting her mouth close to her younger sister's ear. "Well, it's like this… whisper whisper whisper mumble mumble mumble whisper…"

The CPU Candidate's eyes widened slightly in comprehension. "Oh, so that's it… she's in disguise…" Turning to Rei, she bowed slightly to her. "Hello Ms. Kobayashi, I'm Nepgear. It's nice to meet you."

"Um… t-the pleasure's all mine," 'Yuu' forced a smile. "Um, s-so… what's this event Neptune was talking about?"

"The Annual PHLI Robot Expo!" Nepgear answered instantly, her violet eyes sparkling. "Every year, students from the Mechanical Engineering department come together to show off their creations! It's so wonderful!"

"I… see. That's nice." Turning to Neptune, 'Yuu' muttered, "I didn't realize your sister was such a gearhead…"

"Well, her name is Nep-GEAR, what'd you expect?" The goddess quipped.

"I can hear you, you know…" the younger sister sighed, tapping her index fingers together. "Even in a fan-fiction, I can't get any respect… Am I doomed to be female Rodney Dangerfield forever…?"

"A-actually, I t-think that description fits m-me better…" 'Yuu' responded, flushing. "Then again, I k-kind of earned my bad reputation, e-even if I don't remember what happened…"

"OK, enough with being down in the dumpsters, you two!" Neptune cut in. "Especially you, Nep Jr.! This expo is your show, after all…"

"R…right!" Nepgear immediately straightened up. "You're right, it's going to be so much fun! Let's go!"

With that, she ran through the open gate, Neptune and 'Yuu' trailing behind…

 _June 7_

 _South Courtyard_

 _Planeptune Higher Learning Institute_

"Ooooooooh!" Nepgear nearly swooned at all the projects being shown off by various mechanical engineering students everywhere. "Look there! And over there! Oh wow, look at *that*!" Meanwhile, Neptune and 'Yuu Kobayashi' were walking a few feet behind, Neptune looking absolutely miserable and 'Yuu' only looking slightly less so.

"Greetings, CPU Neptune- and- CPU Candidate Nepgear," a robotic voice sounded to the trio's right.

"Oh my goodness! A talking robot!" Nepgear seemed to teleport right in front of said robot in question, stars in her eyes. "So cool!" The robot in question appeared to be a mechanical head in the rough shape of a human skull set on a pedestal, with bright red eyes and a realistic jaw that moved in time with it's spoken words.

"I'm glad you approve, ma'am," a male black-shadowed NPC stepped forward. "It's a primitive AI I made myself. It can interpret and speak in three different languages, with more to follow."

"Um... which languages, exactly?" 'Yuu' spoke up, not wanting to look like dead weight.

"English, Japanese, and Spanish," The NPC answered. "I'm working with language experts in the Institute to make sure my robot doesn't sound like some lame Boogle Translate garbage."

Neptune suddenly got a mischievous look on her face. "So, can it interpret the word... 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious'?"

"Supercali... fragile... istic...ccccccceeeeeeekkkkxxxx #$#%&$^#%*#$-" The robot head spun around as several sparks erupted from its cranium, before tilting to one side, its eyes going dim.

"NEPTUUUUUNE!" Nepgear cried in dismay. "You broke it! How could you?! You've likely ruined months and months of work! You're the worst...!"

"M-Miss Nepgear, please, it's not a big deal," the student cut in as he stepped between the sisters. "It was just a prototype, anyway. I thought my robot could handle a big word like that." He heaved a sigh. "But obviously, there's still some bugs to work out..."

"Y-yes, please, c-calm down, Nepgear," 'Yuu' supplemented. "Y-you really shouldn't l-let one bad event ruin t-the whole trip, r-right?"

The NPC turned to look at the blue-haired woman. "Excuse me, do I know you?"

"Um, n-no," 'Yuu' answered, bowing her head. "I live in Lowee, s-so I highly doubt it..."

"She's a lawyer who got me out of a jam in Lowee," Neptune quickly added. "I just brought her here as a 'thank-you' of sorts, that's all."

"Oh, I see. My apologies," the shadowed student bowed repentantly.

"So, anyway, we're gonna check out some other stuff!" The CPU declared, grabbing both her sister and 'Yuu' by the wrist, before pulling them away. "Bye! Good luck with your robot!"

"Uh...bye," The student half-heartedly waved. (What was that all about...?)

 _June 7_

 _North Courtyard_

 _Planeptune Higher Learning Institute_

Neptune sighed in relief "Phew, that was a close one."

"I'm still upset at at you, sister!" Nepgear said. "Even if it *was* just a prototype, you shouldn't go around deliberately destroying people's hard work like that!"

"Oh, come on, Nep Jr.! He said it wasn't a big deal!"

"Well *I* think it is!"

"P-please, stop this!" 'Yuu' squeaked. "S-sisters shouldn't be fighting like this...!"

"Yeah, c'mon, listen to Re- I mean Yuu! Can't we just drop this already?!"

"No, we cannot!"

"Um, excuse me..." A male voice cut in. "Is... this a bad time?"

Nepgear turned to the source of the voice, her angry expression quickly vanishing as recognition kicked in. "Morty! There you are! I was starting to think you weren't here!"

The man in question appeared to be in his early 20's, about as tall as Nepgear, with dirty blonde hair and green eyes set into a very cute face. He was dressed in a slightly raggedy t-shirt and blue jeans, along with a blue bomber jacket.

Neptune's eyes went wide at the sight. "Hey, he's not in shadow like the others! That must mean he's a *really* important character in this story!" She then shook her head. "Wait, forget that! Nepgear, who's this Morty person? Something you perhaps forgot to tell me?" she inquired, her tone turning slightly accusatory.

"Huh...?" The CPU Candidate was confused for a moment, before it suddenly clicked. "OH! No, no, no! It's not like *that*! He's just a friend, that's all...!"

"Nepgear is correct," Morty spoke up. "She and I and just pen pals. Our relationship is purely platonic, I assure you."

"Pen pals, huh?" Neptune eyed the newcomer suspiciously. "I guess that's fine for now, but if it goes any further, I'll call Blanc to bring down the hammer on you!"

"Neptuuuuune!" Nepgear wailed in dismay. "Why do you always have to be like this every time I speak to someone from the opposite gender?!"

"'Cause I don't want my little sis to have her heart broken and stomped on, that's why!"

"ENOUGH!" 'Yuu' roared, stepping in between the arguing pair, facing Neptune. "Why can't you take your little sister at her word?! If she says they're just pen pals, then they're just pen pals! You should have a bit more faith in her than that!"

Neptune sweatdropped and she raised her hands and backed away. "OK, OK... I'm sorry. You're right, Nep Jr. wouldn't lie to me about that..."

"Thanks, Yuu," Nepgear sighed in relief. "Well, now that that's settled, how about you introduce yourself, Morty?"

"Um, right..." The student cleared his throat. "My name is Mortez Doez. I'm a mechanical engineering student near the top of my class. I first met Nepgear on a message board on the InterNep, and we realized we had a shared interest in hardware and robots and stuff. Actually, I'm kinda flattered that one of the goddesses thinks my work is hot stuff, even if I *am* considered by my professors to be a prodigy..." Mortez chuckled as he put a hand behind his head.

"Soooo… what exactly are you working on?" Neptune inquired. "Or is it top secret, if-I-tell-you-I-have-to-kill-you stuff?"

"I, uh, wouldn't go that far…"

"It's a mech suit, or so he says," Nepgear supplied.

"Hsssst! Don't say that so loud!" Mortez whispered. "It's not ready to go public yet!"

"You know, I've fought my fair share of bad guys in mech suits…" Neptune muttered to herself.

"W-well, I assure you, Morty's one of the good guys!" her younger sister insisted. "Right, Morty?"

"W-well, of course! Why would you need to even ask that?" The student shook his head. "Anyway, Nepgear, you ready for me to show you my masterpiece?"

"Oh, yes!" The CPU Candidate smiled with sparkles in her eyes.

"Well, lead the way then!" said Neptune.

Mortez, however, held up a hand. "Um, sorry miss Neptune, but I'm afraid this is a private viewing. Only Nepgear's allowed to see it."

The CPU's eyes shrank to white circles. "Huh…? But why…? I wouldn't tell anyone!"

"It's not that…" He shook his head in response. "With all due respect, miss Neptune, I'm just paranoid that you'll touch or press something you're not supposed to, and cause a disaster in the process…"

"He's got a point," Nepgear affirmed with a sharp nod. "You've already wrecked one robot today, I don't need you destroying his life's work!" A piano chord sounded as Neptune went white with shock, dropping to her knees, her mouth working but no sounds coming out.

"U-um, well then…" 'Yuu' softly interjected. "I g-guess we'll just check out t-the rest of the expo i-in the m-meantime…"

Nepgear looked down at her sister, her heart twisting a bit. "W-was I too harsh, maybe?"

Mortez just shrugged. "Sometimes, harsh is the only way to the point across… Anyway, c'mon. We better go…" He turned and began to walk off.

"O-Okay!" Nepgear started to follow, but then turned back to her two comrades. "So, I'll, uh, catch up with you two later, OK?" Without waiting for a response, she turned and ran after Morty…

"B-Bye…" 'Yuu' half-heartedly waved after them…

Some time later…

"Bored, bored, bored! I am so bored!" declared Neptune, as she and 'Yuu' wandered aimlessly.

"That's the fifth time you've said that…" 'Yuu' pointed out.

"Well, it's true! I'm not into robots like Nep Jr. is! Good thing you're here… 'misery loves company', as they say."

'Yuu' couldn't help but think to herself, (Wait, *that's* why you dragged me over here? So you wouldn't be bored all by yourself?!) Aloud she asked, "But w-why me? Couldn't y-you have asked the other CPUs o-or something…?"

"I did!" Neptune retorted. "Well, actually, IF and Compa were the first two I asked, but Compa was busy with med school and IF was busy with some 'secret mission'…" The last two words were spoken with a sarcastic undertone. "Noire was busy with paperwork, *as usual*, Vert was screwing around with one of her MMOs again… and well, I already told you what happened with Blanc…"

(So I was the last one on your list?) 'Yuu' groaned inwardly. (Then again, I *did* try to kill you in the past, even if I *was* insane…) "And you wonder why I used to think CPUs weren't necessary…"

Neptune visibly winced at that remark. "Ouch. Low blow, Yuu." The CPU then wiped her forehead. "Phew, it's hot… Maybe I should've worn something lighter…"

"Maybe you should have dressed *me* in something lighter, too…" her companion muttered. "I'm thirsty… isn't there any water around here?"

"Water sounds nice," Neptune sighed. "Though, I could *really* go for a cup of nice, cold—"

"PUDDING! Get your pudding here!" A female voice sounded from not too far away, causing the goddess' eyes to go wide with shock.

"Whoa! That's freaky timing! I've must've tripped an event flag without realizing it!" Without any further ado, she ran over to the lady carrying a tray of pudding in her hands. 'Yuu' followed behind, noting that the woman wasn't a black-shadowed NPC. Said woman was about Neptune's height, with green hair and extremely pale skin, dressed in a dark t-shirt and denim jeans.

"Well, well, if isn't isn't the CPU herself!" the woman exclaimed. "Then again, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised… One cup for 500 credits!"

"OK!" Neptune searched her pockets, only to come up empty. "Oops… Um, Yuu, I don't have any money on me at the moment… Can ya help me out here?"

'Yuu' heaved a sigh as she pulled out her own billfold. "Well, at least I'm not completely dead weight anymore…"

"Well since you're paying, how about you have a cup too?" The salewoman offered.

The disguised lawyer bit her lip. "I'm more thirsty than hungry right now…"

"Well, you can always just save it for later!"

"Yeah, and if you don't want it, I'll eat it later!" Neptune added.

"O-okay, okay, I might as well…" 'Yuu' conceded as she handed over 1000 credits.

"That's the spirit!" said the lady as she handed a cup to both girls. "Thanks for your business! Later!" She walked off, humming to herself.

*Pudding added to the Court Record.*

"C'mon, Yuu! Let's go sit down and eat!" said Neptune.

A few minutes later, the two were sitting on a bench, Neptune polishing off her cup of pudding.

"Mmm, that was good!" the goddess sighed happily. "Nothin' like pudding to fill the belly!" She then stretched and yawned. "Haahh, I feel like taking a nap now…" With that, Neptune slumped over, her head coming to rest in her companion's lap as she began to snore.

(Wow… out like a light,) 'Yuu' thought to herself. (I knew she was a heavy sleeper, but wow…) She wiped some more sweat from her brow, before ineffectually trying to fan her self with her hand. "So thirsty…"

"Excuse me, ma'am," 'Yuu' turned to the source of the voice- another black-shadowed NPC male. "I hope I'm not being too forward, you said you were thirsty, so…" He held out a water bottle.

"Oh, thank you…" she sighed as she gratefully took the bottle, opening and taking a long pull. "*gulp, gulp* Ahhhh… much better."

"You're welcome," the man chuckled. Walking in front of 'Yuu' he inquired, "Why are you wearing a hoodie in this weather, anyway?"

"It w-was her idea," 'Yuu nodded to the sleeping CPU. "A-also I usually live i-in Lowee…"

"Ah, I see… So, how did you become friends with Miss Neptune?"

"U-um…" the bluenette stuttered. "W-well, I'm a defense attorney… I helped out Neptune when she got in trouble on assault charges…"

"Assault? Who did she assau- I mean, supposedly assault?" he quickly corrected himself?

"Lowee's Oracle, Mina… something-or-other," she stumbled. (I still can't get her name right…) "Anyway, t-the a-actual perpetrator was a c-common thief. I-I managed to expose him and g-get him arrested."

The man nodded. "So, Miss Neptune invited you here out of gratitude, then?"

"S…something like t-that, I guess," 'Yuu' answered. Looking down at her sleeping companion, she muttered, "Although this isn't exactly my idea of fun…"

"I can look after her if you need to go to the bathroom or something," The NPC offered. The lawyer was seriously considering taking him up on his offer, when suddenly…

*KA-THOOOOM!*

"W-what was that?!" 'Yuu' squeaked, looking around for the source of the noise.

To be continued...


	3. Investigation, Day 1 (Part 2)

And here's the next chapter, where the action heats up and the investigation begins in earnest. Don't forget to leave a review!

Rei Ryghts: Ace Attorney

The Mech-Suit's Turnabout

by Derald Snyder

Investigation- Day 1 (Part 2)

*KA-THOOOOM!*

"W-what was that?!" 'Yuu' squeaked, looking around for the source of the noise.

"Oh, no! Look over there! It's an attack!" The NPC yelled, pointing to the southwest. In the sky, there was what appeared to be a purple-hued robot that was raining destruction on the expo with laser blasts fired from its palms.

"What the...?" 'Yuu' trailed off. (Is that... the mech suit that Morty and Nepgear were talking about? But why is it attacking the expo?) Her train of thought derailed as she felt her companion shaking the sleeping Neptune.

"Lady Purple Heart! Wake up, please! Your citizens need you!" No response.

'Yuu' tried to help rouse the CPU as well. "Please Neptune, you *have* to wake up!" Unfortunately, all they managed to accomplish was causing her jaw to fall open slightly, a trail of drool coming down her cheek. (Why doesn't she wake up?! Everyone's in danger...! And where's Nepgear?! They're the only ones who could stop-)

And then, 'Yuu' jerked her head up as an idea came to mind. "Stay with her!" she ordered the NPC as she gently removed herself from under Neptune's head, letting it rest on the bench. "I'm going to... call the police!" With that, she ran off...

"Wait!" the man called after her, only to nearly fall over as the shockwave from another explosion hit. "Ugh, stay with her my foot! Better to just get us both to shelter!" He lifted the unconscious CPU in his arms, before turning and running away from the carnage.

Rei came to a stop in an unoccupied alleyway, panting slightly. Part of her couldn't believe she was about to do this... But she didn't see any other option.

(Several of my clients have put their faith in me in the past, so I should be able to do this... I just hope I don't lose my mind again...) Taking a deep breath, she tried to focus. "The one in the mech suit... *that's* my enemy. Everyone else is... not worth my time..." Rei clenched her fists and concentrated.

"Access!"

Immediately the alleyway was engulfed in a pillar of light...

 _July 7_

 _South Courtyard_

 _Planeptune Higher Learning Institute_

Though several people had fled when the attack started, quite a few had stuck around, wondering if this was just a student that had gotten a little too overzealous in demonstrating his/her work... The mech suit came to a stop in mid-air, looking down on a group of four people clustered together...

...before firing what appeared to be several small missiles from its shoulders, targeting the students who screamed as they froze in panic...

*THOOM-THOO-THOO-THOOMMM!*

After a few seconds, the students realized they were unharmed. Looking up, they saw what appeared to be a CPU in HDD form, a large stone shield in front of her, making it obvious how she had blocked the attack. Relief soon changed to terror, however, as they realized said CPU had long cyan hair and a pair of horns atop her head, which turned, revealing a familiar deranged face...

"I suggest you maggots run, unless you WANT to die."

"Oh my Goddess!" exclaimed one of the students. "It's HER!" The realization seemed to unfreeze the four, as they promptly fled in a panic. Letting the shield dissipate, the goddess rose into the air, allowing everyone to get a good look at her.

"I'm *back*, bitches!"

"AAAAAHHHH! It's Rei Ryghts!"

"AAAIIIIIEEEE!"

"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

"MOMMY!"

"I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE!"

Rei let loose with an evil laugh as she watched the remaining citizens flee. "That's right, you fools! Run! Run like the cowards you are!" (So you don't get caught in the crossfire...) Turning to the mech suit, she cracked her knuckles expectantly. "All right, tin can, let's see how you fare against someone who can fight back!"

Her opponent responded to the challenge by raising its hands and firing off laser blasts, which were deflected by Rei's stone shield. It then fired off another salvo of missiles, which caused several cracks to appear, before charging forward with its own body, the kinetic impact shattering the shield completely-

-but Rei was not behind it. "Got you, fool!" The mech suit looked up just in time to see Rei bear down on it with a brutal axe kick that sent it crashing to the ground. "Heh, that all you got?"

The mech suit responded by firing its rocket boots, flying away horizontally, before pulling up after getting some distance from the goddess. Rei promptly chased after it, only to see the suit turn itself around in midair, the CPU realizing too late she'd made a mistake.

"OOOF!" She grunted as she was head-butted in the gut, sending her crashing into a pile of burning metal from the robot's earlier attack. After a few seconds, however, said pile promptly exploded, revealing a *very* ticked off Rei, surrounded in a battle aura.

"All right, that's it..." she growled, her weapon appearing in her hand. "No more Miss Nice Goddess!" She launched toward her opponent at high speed, the mech suit unleashing twin flamethrowers from its wrists in response. However, Rei simply swung her weapon in front of her, causing a strong gust of wind that blew out the flames, before tilting her body backwards, slamming her knee into the mech suit's groin area.

"Huuuurrggghh!" A voice sounded from inside the suit as it doubled over in pain. Male or female, an attack like that still hurt, even with armor...

"So, there *is* someone inside," mused Rei. "Which means I just have to pry you open like the tin can you are!" The mech suit responded by swinging its entire body around, catching the goddess in the side, sending her flying away. This time, she was able to stop herself in midair, before charging forward again. The mech suit crossed its arms in front of itself to defend against the attack...

Only for Rei to suddenly stop right in front of it. "Fooled you!" She swung her weapon up from below, breaking her opponent's guard, before somersaulting forward, bringing her weapon down on it's head, sending it crashing to the ground, cracking the stone walkway. The goddess then followed up with a double-footed kick to the chest, causing a small crater. The mech suit jerked erratically, sparks flying from every point on its body, before its visor dimmed, slumping as it shut down.

Rei couldn't help but laugh in triumph. "Finished already, maggot? What a joke!" Kneeling down, she grabbed at the helmet... "Now, let's see who the pilot is!" she cackled as she removed the headpiece...

Only to drop it in shock, eyes widening as she recognized the purple-haired girl inside. "N...Nepgear?!"

Indeed it was Nepgear, her hair pulled up into a ponytail, her expression a mix of fear, panic and relief. "Th... this isn't what it looks like!" she screamed. "Get me OUTTA HERE!"

The cyan-haired CPU quickly recovered, scoffing. "Stupid, useless, good-for-nothing CPU Candidate!" she ranted as she bent down and wrenched off the damaged chest piece, tossing it aside.

"Freeze!" A male voice cried out. Rei stood and turned slightly to see two brown-suited security officers standing a few yards away, guns drawn. "Don't move!"

"Uh, bro..." the other officer spoke up. "Ah don't think this's a good idea..."

"Shaddup, Drew! Ah'm in charge here!"

Rei's expression turned disdainful. "Oh... the *police*." Turning fully to face them, she spread her wings, rising slightly into the air. "Wriggling worms like you aren't even worth my time. If you want her..." She gestured to Nepgear. "You can have her. I'm done." With that she ascended rapidly, before turning and flying off.

Drew lowered his gun in relief. "Whoo-ee, that was scary! Ah saw mah life flashin' before mah eyes there!"

"Can't say Ah disagree with you, brother," the other officer muttered as he holstered his weapon. "C'mon, let's get this lil' troublemaker into custody..."

"Shore thing, Andy!"

Touching back down in the alleyway, Rei let her transformation revert, becoming 'Yuu Kobayashi' once more as she leaned against the wall, panting slightly. "I... I did it... I stopped the attack without killing anyone..." (But why was Nepgear of all people inside? What the heck is going on?!) Shaking her head, she stood up before walking out of the alley. (First things first, gotta find Neptune...)

As she stepped into open space, she was suddenly confronted with two burly-looking black NPCs. "Uh... c-can I h-help you, g-gentlemen...?"

"Rei Ryghts?" one of them spoke, causing her heart to drop into the pit of her stomach.

(I'm busted...) "Yes?"

"Please come with us." Rei lowered her head as she held her hands out, expected to be arrested right there... Instead however, the men gently took her by the forearms, escorting her away...

 _July 7_

 _Western Gate_

 _Planeptune Higher Learning Institute_

The two NPCs led Rei to a large van. "Get in." She promptly complied, her head still lowered as the sliding door was shut. (Off to jail for me... stupid, stupid, stupid...)

"Hello, Rei. it's been a while." Looking up, she saw a familiar brown-haired girl with green eyes, wearing a large blue trenchcoat and a leafy bow in her hair.

"IF," Rei acknowledged. "Figures you'd be the one escorting me to prison..."

"Who said anything about prison?" IF said.

Rei's eyes widened at that statement. "Huh? B-but aren't y-you here t-to arrest m-me f-for what I j-just pulled in t-the courtyard...?"

IF heaved a sigh as she placed her hands on Rei's shoulders. "Rei, listen to me. You are not in trouble. Not yet, anyway. Right now, I just need you to tell me everything that happened from your perspective."

"O-Okay... um, where do I start?"

"Start with when the attack first happened." IF instructed.

"OK, well... yadda yadda yadda blah-de-blah-de-blah blah blah..."

"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, I see..." IF nodded as she scribbled on a notepad. "But why did you feel the need to transform?"

"W-well, Neptune was asleep, and Nepgear wasn't anywhere to be found..." Rei's eyes widened as something suddenly clicked. "AH! Neptune! I forgot all about her...!"

"It's OK, Rei, she's fine," IF assured her. "One of my fellow agents is with her right now. There's nothing to worry about."

"One of your agents...? Wait, you mean that NPC was...?"

"Exactly," the other woman smiled. "Good deduction. I expected no less from a lawyer of your caliber."

Rei blushed slightly at the compliment, before something else occurred to her. "But wait, I d-don't understand! I thought Neptune s-said you were on s-some secret mission o-or something...!"

IF turned her head to one side, frowning. "It's... related." Facing Rei again, she continued, "I can't really tell you anything right now, but I can say that me and my fellow Guild members will be assisting with the investigation. Is that satisfactory?"

"I-I guess..." Rei sighed. "So, d-does that mean you w-want me t-to defend Nepgear i-in court?"

IF sighed. "Well, Neptune will probably insist on it once she wakes up... Speaking of which, we better go see her."

"R...right..."

 _July 7, 12:36 PM_

 _Main Hallway, First Floor_

 _Planeptune Higher Learning Institute_

IF and Rei walked in from outside, seeing Neptune and IF's NPC associate sitting in two chairs, the CPU still sawing logs.

"How is she?" IF inquired.

"Still no luck," the NPC shook his head. "She's mumbled a few words in her sleep, but that's about it..."

Rei bit her lip, coming to a decision. "Allow me." Walking up to the sleeping goddess, she put her lips close to her ear. "So, maggot, I guess you don't care that your little sister Nepgear has been *arrested* and is going to jail!"

"Hmmm... Nepgear... arrested..." Neptune mumbled. There was no further response for a few seconds... then her eyes suddenly shot open. "Wait, WHAAAAAAAAAAAATT?!" She jumped several feet into the air, nearly hitting her head on the ceiling. "Nepgear's been *arrested*?! What the heck happened?!"

"Well, *that* worked..." the NPC grunted in surprise.

Rei turned to IF. "Should you tell her, or should I?"

"I think you should," the agent answered. "You were there, after all..."

"OK..." she sighed. "It's like this, Neptune... yadda yadda yadda blah-de-blah-de-blah blah blah..."

The purple-haired CPU's eyes shrank to write circles in disbelief. "So, lemme get this straight... a mech suit attacked the expo, you went and transformed and thrashed the guy, only to discover Nepgear was piloting?!"

"A-actually, she s-sounded like s-she wasn't i-in there o-of her own w-will..."

Neptune frowned at this. "I knew it... it's that Morty guy! He must have tricked her or something! He's *gotta* be the one!"

"Neptune, please, calm down," IF insisted. "We don't know all the facts yet, so we shouldn't jump to conclusions..."

The CPU looked ready to argue the point. "But Iffy, who else could've gotten her in there?!"

"W-well, maybe she g-got in t-to test it o-out, but t-then the suit malfunctioned or s-something," Rei suggested. "It could have b-been a p-preprogrammed battle r-routine or something l-like that..."

"Which is why we need to go talk to him," said IF. "And please Neptune, don't accuse him of anything before he's had a chance to explain himself..."

Neptune heaved a sigh. "It'd better be one heck of an explanation then..."

 _July 7_

 _Robotics Garage, First Floor_

 _Planeptune Higher Learning Institute_

Mortez Doez was looking quite distressed when the three ladies arrived. "Man, oh man... what a mess this whole thing is..."

"Excuse me, Mr. Doez?" IF spoke up. "My name is IF, and I'm assisting with the investigation. I need to ask you some questions about what happened."

"And you better have some darn good answers, " muttered Neptune, which got her dope-slapped by the Guild agent. "OW, Iffy...!"

"Please, Neptune, let me talk here," IF said.

"It's all right," sighed Mortez. "I have a little brother who got himself in some big trouble awhile back, so I can kinda guess how she feels..."

Neptune's expression quickly shifted from upset and angry to mildly curious. "Really? What happened? Did he hijack one of your mech suits and go on a rampage or something?"

"Ding ding, ding! Give the lady a prize," Mortez affirmed with a slight sarcastic undertone. "Yeah, he took one of my prototypes, dubbed himself 'Anonydeath', and started wrecking stuff all over the area. Thankfully, the power source wasn't up to snuff, so he was arrested once the suit shut down on him. Thanks to that idiot, my family was forced to move here from Lastation in order to escape the negative stigma." He massaged his temples. "And now, it's happened all over again..."

(Wait, so... Mortez's brother is this dimension's Anonydeath?!) Putting that thought aside, Neptune asked, "But why would you even build something like that anyway? I mean with all the weapons it had..."

"I-it was meant for military application," Mortez stuttered. "I-I mean, you goddesses can't be everywhere at once, so I figured a skilled warrior could don the suit and help resolve more... minor incidents. Y-You know, just make your jobs easier. T-That's the same thing I told Nepgear..."

"So, did Nepgear enter the suit of her own will?" IF inquired.

"Well, yeah, I asked if she wanted to help me test it out... I even had some targets set up," he gestured to a set of mannequins standing single-file at the other end of the garage. "Never expected her to hijack it though..."

"OBJECTION!" declared Neptune. "I heard from a reliable source that when Nepgear was pulled out of the suit, she was yelling that it wasn't what it looked like, and she was really freaked out!"

"H-hey, *I'm* the one t-that's supposed to o-object here...!" Rei protested.

Mortez crossed his arms. "Come on, she was the one in the suit, maybe she just went out of control?"

"Or maybe someone remote-controlled it!" Neptune shot back. "Don't think I didn't see that controller on your work desk!"

"Huh? Oh, right..." The mechanical engineering student walked over to the bench and picked up the remote. "Well, you're right in one sense, this *is* a remote control for the mech suit, but it's range is really weak. Like, only 10 meters or so. There's no way I could've used this to maneuver that suit all around the courtyard, if that's what you're thinking..."

"Regardless, we'll have to take that remote into evidence," IF stated. "I'll have forensics check it to see if your explanation checks out."

"Fair enough," said Mortez, handing the remote over. "But I'm telling the truth. By the way, who stopped Nepgear's rampage, anyway?"

**Mech Remote added to Court Record.**

"Nepgear wasn't rampaging!" protested Neptune, only to be stopped by a raised hand from IF.

"Neptune, please. For your information, Mr. Doez, the one who stopped the attack was Rei Ryghts, of all people."

Mortez blinked several times in disbelief. "W-wait, THE Rei Ryghts?! That psycho goddess that nearly destroyed Planeptune and threatened all of Gamindustri?! You're kidding me...!"

"We have several witnesses who confirm it," the Guild agent affirmed. "Don't worry, we're searching the area for her as we speak."

Rei fought off the urge to sneeze as she readjusted her sunglasses.

"Well then, with all due respect, miss Neptune, shouldn't *you* be helping out with that? I mean, you're the only one here who could even *remotely* stand a chance against her!"

"I told my fellow agents to call us immediately if they find her, so Neptune can get to the scene ASAP," IF reassured him. "We have the situation under control. Besides," she continued, "doesn't it make sense that Neptune would be here, since it's her little sister on the hot seat?"

"Y-yeah... of course, you're right. I'm sorry." Morty bowed to Neptune repentantly. "So... is there anything else I can do to help you?"

"Well, most likely you'll be called upon to testify at Nepgear's trial... Can we count on your cooperation?" IF asked.

"Sure, no problem," the student nodded. "Just tell me when and I'll be there."

"OK then. Thanks Mr. Doez, we'll be in touch. Come on, Neptune, Yuu."

"O-okay," Rei nodded as she followed after the agent, Neptune trailing behind her...

 _July 7_

 _Main Hallway, First Floor_

 _Planeptune Higher Learning Institute_

"By the way, Iffy..." Neptune spoke up. "Am I gonna be able to visit Nepgear in jail? She's gonna need all the support she can get..."

IF searched through her pockets for her cell phone, eventually finding it. "Well, let me call my fellow agents and see if we can talk to her now." Dialing a number, she stepped aside as the call connected, speaking in hushed tones.

"Umm..." Rei spoke up. "A-are you g-going to want me t-to d-defend your sister in c-court?"

Neptune stared at her like she'd grown tentacles. "I thought that was a no-brainer. Of course I want you defend Nep Jr..."

"What do you mean tomorrow?!" IF suddenly yelled. "We've only just started the investigation!" She paused as she listened to the voice on the other end. "Seriously?! *sigh* OK, I'll tell them. Don't worry, I've got a lawyer already lined up for her defense. Yes, her. You got a problem with that? ...Alright. OK, bye." She hung up. "Just great..."

"What's wrong, Iffy?" The CPU asked. "What's going on tomorrow?"

"The trial's scheduled for tomorrow," IF groaned in exasperation. "Apparently the headmaster for the Institute made a real stink over the incident, and wants to make an example of Nepgear..."

"What?! That stinks like limburger cheese!" Neptune protested. "We haven't even found any real clues or anything!"

"W-what about N-Nepgear?" Rei inquired.

IF sighed, "Well, the security guards who arrested her put her through the wringer in interrogation. She's not really in the mood to see anyone right now..." She shook her head. "Look, I'll tell the others to try and step it up a bit. But for now, you two should probably go and get rested for tomorrow."

Neptune hung her head and sighed. "Man, if only I hadn't decided to catch a few winks, things probably wouldn't be so bad right now..."

"B-but where will I stay?" Rei asked. "I-I hadn't b-been planning o-on staying the n-night..."

"You'll be bunking with me, of course!" Neptune stated matter-of-factly. "Don't worry, once I explain things to Histy, I'm sure she'll understand..."

 _July 7_

 _Neptune's Room_

 _Planeptune Basilicom_

"I'm home, Histy!" Neptune declared as she and Rei walked in. "And I've got a houseguest!"

"Hello Neptune," Histoire, Planeptune's Oracle, greeted the CPU. "And you as well... Rei." The fairy's eyes narrowed slightly, the lawyer seeming to wither under her gaze.

"I-it was her idea, n-not mine," she squeaked.

"I'm sure you've heard by now what happened?" asked Neptune.

"I saw it on the news," Histoire affirmed. "Shares are already dropping because of this... if Nepgear gets convicted, it could prove disastrous."

"Hey, it's cool. We've got a veteran lawyer on our side, after all. And besides, unlike Lowee, Planeptune uses jury trials, so the... uh... the..."

"I believe the phrase you're searching for is 'burden of proof'," The all-seeing tome supplied.

"That's it! The 'burden-of-proof' is lower than in Lowee's trials, so this should be a snap for Rei!"

"I-I don't know..." Rei sighed. "I mean, Nepgear w-was c-caught about as r-red-handed a-as you c-can get... Convincing a j-jury she's innocent w-won't b-be easy."

"Maaaaybe, but you've overcome some pretty low odds in court before, too," The CPU pointed out. "If anyone can pull this off, it's you! And I'll be right by your side to give you support!"

Rei couldn't help but smile from Neptune's reassurance. "Thank you..."

With that, the two retired for the night. But what would await them in court tomorrow?

To be continued...


	4. Trial, Day 1

It's time for the first day of trial! When I first uploaded this on DeviantArt, someone said the format I used for this chapter didn't work too well... So, leave an honest critique and tell me how I can improve!

Also, the updates will be coming a little slower from here on out, but I have started the next part. Hopefully it won't take too long, I have the general outline all in my head...

UPDATE: I've decided to use the journal feature on my DeviantArt page (Same name as on here) to post updates on the progress I've made on the current chapter. Also, new chapters will be posted there first, but they'll be put up here very soon after! Also, you can take a look at some of my earlier attempts at writing, including a prequel to this story. Fair warning: Quality may vary greatly.

Rei Ryghts: Ace Attorney

The Mech-Suit's Turnabout

by Derald Snyder

Trial- Day 1

Court Record:

-Pudding

-Mech Remote

 _July 8, 9:45 AM_

 _District Court_

 _Defendant Lobby No. 3_

"Wow, Nepgear, you don't look so good."

That was an understatement. The CPU Candidate looked utterly disheveled, her purple hair mussed, her clothes dirty, with tear streaks going from her eyes down her cheeks. She was unsteady on her feet, and appeared to have not heard her sister at all.

Rei couldn't help but feel her heart twist a bit at this. (I'd heard those security officers put her through the wringer, but...)

"Hey! Nepgear!" Neptune snapped her fingers a few times in front of her sister's face. "You with us here?"

Nepgear blinked before slowly turning to her sister. "Sorry, sister... I'm just kinda tired..."

Rei spoke up, "We don't have much time, Nepgear, but I have to ask you a few things." She took a breath. "Just so we're clear, you were *not* piloting that mech suit of your own will, right?"

"Right... that's what I tried to tell those officers, but they wouldn't listen...! They just kept saying stuff like 'don't deny the obvious' and 'it'd be better for you to come clean now'!" The goddess hiccuped as tears began flowing down her cheeks again, prompting Neptune to grab her in a hug.

"Hey, hey, now's not the time to go to pieces here, OK? Rei and I are gonna everything we can to prove you're as pure and innocent as the wind-driven snow!"

"B-but it's summer, not winter..." Nepgear pointed out.

(Well, if she can still make a joke, she's not completely broken...) Rei thought to herself. "N-Neptune's right, we'll do what w-we can to find t-the truth..."

"You don't sound very confident..." the CPU Candidate sighed.

(I'd be a little more confident if we had more than one or two pieces of evidence...) thought Rei. (I really hope IF managed to come up with more proof to present at trial... We got a call from her last night, confirming that remote has the weak range Mortez said it had...) "I just hope my disguise as Yuu Kobayashi holds up..." She adjusted her sunglasses, before pulling at the collar of her hoodie.

"It should," stated Neptune. "I got a text from Iffy earlier this morning, she said she and her fellow Intelligence agents were altering paperwork and stuff to make sure you weren't found out. Last thing we need is this place going up in panic..."

"Isn't your defending me a conflict of interest, though?" Nepgear asked. "I mean, you were the one that stopped me..."

"With all due respect, Miss Nepgear, that was Rei Ryghts that stopped you, not Yuu Kobayashi..." the lawyer retorted. "Besides, I didn't even know it was you, until I pulled the helmet off..."

"Ms. Attorney!" the bailiff called. "Court is about to begin! Please bring the defendant with you and take your seat at the bench!"

"We're coming!" Neptune affirmed. "OK, this is it, everyone! Let's do this!"

 _July 8, 10:00 AM_

 _District Court_

 _Courtroom No. 3_

"All Rise!" declared the bailiff. "Court is now in session for the trial of the State v. Nepgear, the honorable Judge Theodore Kintobor presiding."

Everyone stood up as the slightly-rotund judge walked to his seat. Though he was completely bald, his large, bushy mustache had not grayed, showing that he had once been a redhead. A tiny pair of glasses rested on his reddish, pointy nose, giving him a quaint, old-fashioned look. Once he had settled in his seat, the gallery followed, though Neptune and Rei remained standing.

"Well then," muttered the judge as he looked through some papers, "never thought I'd be seeing one of the goddesses in the defendant's seat... just when you think you've seen everything..." Looking up, he locked eyes with Rei. "Ms... Yuu Kobayashi, was it?"

"Y-yes, sir, Your Honor," Rei stuttered slightly.

"I've received your papers detailing your cases you've worked on in Lowee." Shaking his head briefly, he continued, "Though I can't say I agree with your fashion sense, your record's certainly nothing to sneeze at. The number of acquittals you've scored is almost unprecedented. Most lawyers working in Lowee's court system are lucky to get *one* Not Guilty verdict in their entire careers!"

Rei felt her face heat up from the judge's praise. "W-well, I like to t-think it w-was because I h-had a r-really good m-mentor..."

"I see," the judge chuckled. "Though, I am somewhat disturbed by the large number of blackouts on these papers..."

"Necessary redactions to protect the innocent, Your Honor," IF spoke up from the witness stand. (Although Rei herself isn't exactly innocent in my eyes...)

"Yes, yes, of course. How silly of me," Kintobor nodded gruffly. "Anyway, Ms. Kobayashi, I trust you understand that this is a jury trial. I hope the different format doesn't trip you up."

"Y-yes, Your Honor," Rei nodded. "I-it helps that t-this courtroom is s-similar to the o-ones back home..."

"Which of course begs the question, where *is* the jury, anyway?" Neptune spoke up.

"Watching the trial on closed-circuit camera," IF answered her. "It's to prevent coercion or intimidation by the defendant or the lawyers."

"Speaking of which, where is the prosecution?" The judge asked, looking over at the still-empty bench.

"I can explain that, Your Honor," IF stated. "Because of the nature of this trial, we had to find a prosecutor that would not be biased either against or toward the defendant," she indicated Nepgear. "Unfortunately, said prosecutor was out training in the mountains, making it difficult to locate him... but find him we did. He should be on his way in now..." Suddenly, there was the sound of triumphant music. "...Ah, I think that's him right now."

"Huh..." pondered Neptune. "I swear I've heard that music before..."

 _~The lone man who gave his soul to gaming_

 _Today, he returns once more~_

The courtroom doors slammed open, revealing a Japanese man with short, bushy black hair, dressed in a karate gi tied with a black belt, carrying what appeared to be a giant white colored console on his back.

 _~He will punish those who don't play seriously_

 _Their battered bodies will never forget!~_

The man trudged over to the prosecutor's bench, setting down his console before taking his place.

"Wait a minute..." The judge blinked in surprise. "Aren't you...?"

"No way!" cried Neptune. "It can't be... but it really is!"

 _~Segata Sanshiro!_

 _Segata Sanshiro!_

 _Sega Saturn, shiro!~_

"N-no way!" Rei squeaked, sweating. "*The* Segata Sanshiro?!"

"Indeed, it is I!" the man declared. "I was summoned by the Guild to prosecute this case, and so here I am!" The crowd erupted into excited chatter, most of them never having witnessed this legend of a man in person before.

"Order! Order!" Judge Kintobor declared, banging his gavel. "I'm just as surprised as you are, but we must have order!"

"I don't think there's anyone here who *isn't* surprised," Neptune muttered to Rei, who could only nod in agreement.

Once the crowd had quieted somewhat, the judge shook his head. "I honestly cannot believe this man, this legend is standing here before me! I'd heard you had perished defending the Planeptune Basilicom from a missile attack years ago!"

"Indeed," Segata responded. "Even I believed I would perish that day... but, it seemed fate had other ideas. So, here I stand."

"I see," Kintobor nodded. "But, seeing as you were called here on such short notice, are you really prepared for this trial?"

"I reviewed the case's files on a mobile device during the helicopter trip." Segata then slammed his hand onto the bench, as if he were trying to karate-chop it in two. "Do you think I would be standing here, were I not prepared for battle?"

(Last I checked, this was a trial, not a judo match...) Rei thought to herself.

"Hmph!" scoffed the judge. "Well then, if you're so confident in your knowledge, why don't you prove it with your opening statement?"

Segata nodded. "Very well." Clearing his throat, he began, "The incident occurred on July 7, around high noon. The annual Planeptune Higher Learning Institute Robotics Expo was in full swing, when suddenly disaster struck. A person in a purple mech suit appeared and started blasting all the other projects to pieces, before turning their attention to the citizens. This was bad enough on its own, but then something even worse occurred. The psychotic goddess known as Rei Ryghts, once thought to have been defeated, suddenly appeared on the scene!"

"W-Whaaaaat?!" gasped the judge. "R-Rei Ryghts was there?!" The crowd murmured.

"Indeed. Thankfully, she seemed to focus solely on the person in the mech suit, preferring to simply taunt the civilians as they fled," the Savior of Saturn stated. "It was a miracle that no-one was seriously injured in the incident... but I digress. Anyway, Rei Ryghts engaged the terrorist in battle, and after a brief fight managed to disable the suit. But when she started to pry open the suit, the one inside was discovered to be none other than the defendant!"

"Meep!" squeaked Nepgear, bowing her head and sweating as the crowd chattered.

The judge's gavel silenced the crowd. "But, what of Rei Ryghts? Why was she not subdued?"

"She promptly fled when confronted by security, though not out of fear, but out of boredom now that there were no other worthy challenges in the area. The police are still searching for her as we speak..."

"Ahhh-chooo!" Rei sneezed, nearly knocking her sunglasses off her face, quickly pushing them back on.

"Bless you, Ms. Kobayashi!" said the judge.

"S-sorry, sorry! I'm so very sorry!" Rei apologized. "P-please, d-don't mind me! *sniff*"

"Hmph. Why you're even here is beyond me, seeing as how open-and-shut a case this is..." stated Segata.

"OBJECTION!" Neptune cut in. "Open-and-shut or not, everyone deserves a fair trial, especially Nepgear!"

"Miss Neptune makes a fair point," Judge Kintobor nodded. "So then, Prosecutor Sanshiro, I believe it's time you called your first witness..."

"I would, Your Honor, but she is already here," the judo master gestured to IF. "So then, if you would state your name and occupation for the record."

"Yes, sir," IF nodded. "My name is IF. I'm an agent working in the Planeptune Guild's Intelligence Division. My fellow agents and I are assisting with the investigation, seeing as Goddesses are involved."

The judge blinked in confusion. "I-F? That's it? Is that a code name, or is it an acronym for something?"

"It stands for 'I'dea 'F'actory, of course!" stated Neptune.

"Neptune! Now is *not* the time to break the fourth wall!" IF scolded.

The judge then banged his gavel. "Very well then. Miss Factory, you may begin your testimony, about what your investigation has uncovered."

"I-it's 'IF', Your Honor..." the agent sighed...

*WITNESS TESTIMONY*

"The attack began at about 11:57 AM, in the southwest portion of the PHLI courtyard."

"The first casualty was a large walking robot that was blown to smithereens."

"After about five minutes, the mech suit moved on to the northern courtyard."

"Not long after, Rei Ryghts appeared and engaged the mech suit in combat."

"After a few minutes, the goddess emerged victorious, and pulled off the helmet, exposing Nepgear as the pilot."

"Security then arrived on the scene, prompting Rei to flee, after which they took the defendant into custody."

"Hmmm..." the judge pondered. "So the attack started in the south before moving to the north..."

"Yes sir," nodded IF. "I have a diagram here, showing the points of interest in the attack..."

"Very good, the court accepts the diagram into evidence."

*Crime Scene Diagram added to the Court Record.*

"Now then Ms. Kobayashi, you may begin your cross-examination."

Rei thought, (My best bet right now is to gather as much information as I can... as my mentor once said, even the smallest detail can turn a case completely on its head...)

*CROSS-EXAMINATION*

"The attack began at about 11:57 AM, in the southwest portion of the PHLI courtyard."

"HOLD IT!"

"If I recall correctly..." Rei pondered. "Isn't the garage where the mech suit was first built located in the northwest? Why would the person inside attack the south courtyard first? Wouldn't it be faster to attack the north courtyard first?"

IF answered, "Well, as far as we could confirm, the mech suit actually flew just outside the fence at low altitude. And even if it had been spotted, people would have simply believed it to be one of the projects being shown off."

"Perhaps," Segata spoke up, "The pilot of the mech suit meant to be seen in a non-threatening manner first, to lure people into a false sense of security before attacking."

"How cruel that would be, if it were true," stated Judge Kintobor. "So, exactly what did the mech suit attack first?"

"The first casualty was a large walking robot that was blown to smithereens."

"HOLD IT!"

Rei stated, "I assume that particular robot was chosen as a target because of its size?"

"Most likely," IF nodded. "It certainly got everyone's attention..."

"Well, this is probably a really silly question..." Neptune began. "But did you check to see if Morty or anyone else had a grudge against that robot builder specifically?"

IF shook her head. "Not as far as we were able to determine, although said robot builder was quite upset over his life's work being destroyed... And of course, he's not the only one. Nearly all the robotics projects in the south courtyard were destroyed in the attack."

"What about the north?" Segata inquired.

"I was just about to get to that, Mr. Sanshiro..."

"After about five minutes, the mech suit moved on to the northern courtyard."

"HOLD IT!"

"What were the students and visitors doing at this point?" Rei asked. "You think they would have been fleeing by now..."

IF nodded. "A significant portion of the students and visitors had indeed fled by that time, though were still quite a few hanging around. I should point out that the pilot of the suit had apparently not targeted any humans yet, though a few were injured from shrapnel from the destroyed robots."

"So, perhaps those people did not believe their lives to be in mortal danger yet?" Segata pondered.

"Most likely," IF shrugged. "Either that or they were frozen in panic. Which would prove to be a near-fatal mistake as the mech suit did indeed start targeting humans. But then..."

"Not long after, Rei Ryghts appeared and engaged the mech suit in combat."

"HOLD IT!"

(OK, don't say anything that gives yourself away...) Rei thought, before asking, "What were Rei Ryghts' first actions upon her appearance?"

"Actually, her first action was to protect a quartet of students from the mech suit's missiles..." IF stated.

"Wh-what?!" exclaimed Judge Kintobor. "The psychotic goddess actually saved lives?!" The crowd chattered in confusion.

"Are you certain of this?" Segata pressed.

"Yes, I confirmed it personally with a witness," the Guild agent nodded. "Obviously, once Rei made her presence known, all the remaining civilians fled. I can't really speak to her reasoning though..."

Neptune jumped in, "Well, when I and the other Goddesses fought her back then, she was completely out of her mind. Maybe this time, she was... a little less insane?"

"Hmmm..." pondered the judge. "Perhaps that is a possibility..."

"OBJECTION!" declared Segata. "With all due respect, Your Honor, Rei Ryghts is not the one on trial here, Miss Nepgear is! Perhaps we could get back on topic?"

"Yes, yes, of course. Miss Factory, if you could continue with your testimony..."

"'IF', please, Your Honor..."

"After a few minutes, the goddess emerged victorious, and pulled off the helmet, exposing Nepgear as the pilot."

"HOLD IT!"

(Obviously, trying to insinuate anyone other than Nepgear was inside the suit isn't going to work, so I need to approach this from a different angle...) The defense attorney inquired, "So, were you able to recover the mech suit from the scene of the crime?"

"Of course... what was left of it, anyway," IF affirmed. "Unfortunately, the damage the suit suffered caused its internal programming to be completely wiped out. Forensics is still checking the suit, but I managed to bring the helmet in as evidence." As she said this, the agent hefted a large plastic evidence bag with said helmet inside.

"Very well, the court accepts the helmet into evidence."

*Mech Suit Helmet added to the Court Record.*

"Check out that weird bulge around the mouth area," Neptune observed. "That looks kinda suspicious,huh?"

"Definitely," Rei agreed. (I should keep that detail in mind for later...)

"So, what happened after that?" The judge prodded.

"Security then arrived on the scene, prompting Rei to flee, after which they took the defendant into custody."

"HOLD IT!"

"What was the defendant's state of mind at the time she was arrested?"

IF bit her lip. "Nearly hysterical, from what I hear. She was screaming and pleading about how it wasn't what it looked like, she had no control, stuff like that. The security officers weren't having any of it, though." She then sighed. "But did they really need to be so harsh on her in interrogation...?"

"OBJECTION!" yelled Segata. "Miss Factory, you are here to testify, not give your personal opinion! Move to strike, Your Honor!"

"Objection sustained," agreed the judge. "The jury will disregard the witness' last remark." He then banged his gavel. "Anyway, I think that about does it for this examination. Miss Factory, you may step down." IF silently complied. "There's still one question that bothers me though. Who actually designed this mech suit, anyway? And why didn't they try to stop the defendant?"

"A good question, Your Honor," the judo master-turned-prosecutor nodded. "Which is why I have brought that very man in to testify. The prosecution calls Mr. Mortez Doez to the stand!"

Morty's expression was a mix of bored and depressed as he took the stand. It looked like he had attempted to comb his hair for the trial, and failed miserably.

"Witness, state your name and occupation," Segata stated.

"Mortez Doez," he responded. "I'm a second-year student at the Planeptune Higher Learning Institute, in the Mechanical Engineering department." He sighed. "And yes, I'm the one who constructed the mech suit that wreaked havoc at the expo. My sincere apologies to everyone involved."

Segata faux-chopped the bench. "You were not asked to come here to apologize, but to testify! Now, as the judge has stated, why did you not deactivate the mech suit before the defendant absconded with it?"

"Y-you think I didn't try?!" Mortez protested.

Judge Kintobor banged his gavel. "Calm down, witness. All we want is your honest testimony on what happened that day. Try not to let your emotions get the better of you, please."

"Y-yes, Your Honor."

*WITNESS TESTIMONY*

"Nepgear was helping me test out my mech suit that day..."

"She got inside, then I closed it up, and activated it remotely."

"I didn't expect her to suddenly hijack it!"

"I tried to shut down the suit, but she escaped."

"So..." Judge Kintobor began. "You tried to override her control, but failed?"

"I swear, that's the truth, Your Honor," Mortez affirmed. "Honestly, if I could have stopped her, I would have!"

"Nepgear is quite proficient with machinery," Segata said. "It wouldn't be that surprising if she could override him, especially with that weak remote!"

"I guess he read the evidence report..." Neptune sighed.

(Morty's testimony was somewhat vague,) Rei thought to herself. (I should try pressing him and see what comes out...)

"Now then, Ms. Kobayashi, your cross-examination, please," the judge requested.

*CROSS-EXAMINATION*

"She got inside, then I closed it up, and activated it remotely."

"HOLD IT!"

"Mr. Doez, this mech remote..." the disguised lawyer held up the evidence in question. "You said you used it to activate the suit, and I assume it can be used to shut it down as well. What other functions does it have?"

Mortez bit his lip. "Just basic movement and flight, really... it can't activate any of the weapon systems."

"So much for that line of questioning..." Neptune muttered under her breath.

"Why would you equip a suit with such dangerous weaponry in the first place?!" The judge demanded.

"L-like I said to Neptune and IF yesterday, it's for military application!" Morty yelled, sweating. "I wasn't even planning to show it at the expo! I just thought it'd be a convenient time for me and Nepgear to get together!" Taking a breath to calm himself, he continued, "Besides, I thought I could trust Nepgear not to do anything stupid..."

"A trust that was clearly misplaced," muttered Segata.

"OBJECTION!" Neptune protested. "You're out of line, Mr. Sanshiro! Move to strike!"

"W-withdrawn," the prosecutor hastily amended.

(Wow, Neptune can be scary when it comes to her sister...) Rei thought. (Not even Segata Sanshiro is immune!)

Judge Kintobor banged his gavel. "All right settle down, everyone. Mr. Doez, please continue your testimony."

"I didn't expect her to suddenly hijack it!"

"HOLD IT!"

Rei inquired, "What did my client do exactly?"

"Well, she turned and flew out the garage door," Mortez said. "She didn't even say anything, she just went! It kinda caught me off guard, honestly..."

(Hmmm...) "Your Honor, this supposed behavior of my client's seems important. I'd like it appended to the official testimony."

"Very well, the witness will revise his testimony accordingly."

"She didn't even say anything when she flew off!"

"OBJECTION!"

"Yes!" cried Neptune in joy. "About time you found a contradiction!"

"Neptune, please," Rei groaned. "*ahem* Mr. Doez, you said that the defendant didn't say anything when she flew off, correct?"

"W-well, yeah... that's the truth!"

"Mr. Doez, have you forgotten how you designed your own suit?" Rei countered. "More specifically, the helmet?"

"The helmet?" The judge blinked in confusion.

"Your Honor, if you look here..." Rei pointed to the helmet, "you'll see that there's a large bulge about where the mouth is located. What would you think would happen if you put this helmet on?"

"Well, I can't imagine it being very sanitary..." Kintobor muttered in disgust.

"Exactly! With this helmet on, Nepgear would've been completely muffled! It's not she *didn't* say anything..." She pointed her finger. "...it's that she *couldn't*, even if she wanted to!"

"Ah...!" The judge's eyes widened in comprehension. The crowd murmured.

"That's right!" cried Neptune. "That means if she was hijacked, she couldn't even scream for help! Remember how Iffy said Nepgear was hysterical when she was pulled out?"

"OBJECTION!" Segata cut in. "Or maybe she was hysterical because she knew she'd been caught red-handed."

"Urk!" Neptune grunted. "Ugh, Sorry, Yuu... guess I jumped the gun there, huh?"

(Actually, you just gave me an idea...) Rei thought, as the judge gaveled down the restless crowd.

"Order! Order!" Once the crowd had quieted, he stated, "Mr. Doez, would you mind telling the court why you designed the inside of the helmet in such an... unsanitary shape?"

Mortez chuckled as he put his hand behind his head. "Ah-hahahaha... oh right, I forgot. It was meant to be a mouth guard of sorts, so the pilot wouldn't lose their teeth if they crashed." He shook his head. "I mean it *is* a prototype..."

"But the point still stands!" The purple-haired CPU protested. "Nepgear still couldn't say anything one way or the other!"

"OBJECTION!" Segata shot back, "Whether she could speak while she was in the suit or not is irrelevant!"

"OBJECTION!" Rei retorted, "Neptune just said that Nepgear wouldn't have been able to scream for help! What if someone had hijacked control from outside the garage?"

"Outside?" questioned the judge. "Ms. Kobayashi, please elaborate."

Holding up the mech remote, Rei explained, "As stated by Mr. Doez and confirmed by forensics, this particular remote has a very weak signal, and can't operate the suit outside of 10 meters." She then slammed her fists on the bench. "Which means, the possibility exists that someone outside the garage could have easily overridden the signal and hijacked the mech suit themselves!" Both the judge and prosecutor visibly flinched at this. The gallery chattered briefly, before the judge banged his gavel.

"Well, Mr. Doez?" questioned the judge. "Is this possible?"

"Well, I guess..." Morty muttered, one hand behind his head again. "In theory, anyone with a stronger signal could have overridden my control... Heck, even a police radio would've done the job..."

"Woo-hoo! That sounds like 'reasonable doubt' to me!" exclaimed Neptune.

"OBJECTION!"

"What?!" the CPU yelled in shock. "How can you refute that, Segata?!"

"Very easily," the Savior of Saturn asserted. "The official investigation will show that none of the remote controls present at the scene were that much more powerful than Mr. Doez's! Certainly none strong enough to cover the entire range of the courtyard!"

"S-so they were probably following the mech suit around!" Neptune tried to argue.

"At the speeds the suit was flying around at? Said person would have had to be superhuman! And needless to say, no witnesses saw anyone running after the mech suit with a remote in hand!" Segata faux-chopped the bench. "In other words, your so-called remote hijacker... never existed!"

"Aaaaaaahhh!" screamed Neptune.

"Nooooooooo!" wailed Rei. The crowd started chattering again.

"Order! Order!" yelled Judge Kintobor, banging his gavel several times.

"As I said before..." stated Segata. "This is an open-and-shut case from beginning to end! There is no need for further argument! I believe we can proceed to jury deliberations now."

Judge Kintobor nodded. "Ms. Kobayashi, if you have no further arguments..."

"C'mon, Yuu! Think of something!" Neptune pleaded.

(I'm trying...) thought Rei, (but my mind's coming up completely blank!)

"Huuurghlglhlgllll!" A voice sounded from the defendant's chair. Everyone turned to see Nepgear fall over, her body convulsing.

"NEPGEAR!" Neptune immediately leapt over the defense's bench and ran to her sister's side. "Somebody call a doctor!" she screamed in panic.

"My word!" gasped the judge. "Bailiff, what are you doing?! Get a medic at once! Court is in recess!"

 _July 8, 11:05 AM_

 _District Court_

 _Defendant Lobby No. 3_

Nergear had been laid out on a bench, a wet washcloth on her forehead as the medic checked over her.

"How is she?" inquired Neptune worriedly.

The medic bit his lip. "Well, I can't seem to find anything wrong with- gak!" A fist to the face cut him short, causing him to slump to the floor, knocked out, as Nepgear sat up looking perfectly fine.

"Hee hee! My plan worked perfectly!" The CPU Candidate proclaimed, causing her sister's eyes to shrink to white circles.

"W-wait, you m-mean you w-were never r-really sick?" Rei realized in shock.

"Seriously?!" Neptune concurred. "You even had me fooled! But why?!"

"I-I was trying to buy time," Nepgear explained. "I was hoping Rei could come up with something while we were in recess..."

"I'm sorry," sighed the lawyer, rubbing her temples, "But all you did was give me a headache..."

"Aw, man! This sucks like quicksand!" sighed Neptune. "If only Iffy had had more time to look for clues...!"

(...more time? Wait, that's it!) Rei immediately straightened up. "You're right, Neptune. What we need is to buy ourselves some time..."

"B-but how will we do that?" Nepgear pondered.

"Well..." the former goddess bit her lip. "We need to come up with another person, someone specific, who could have done this. If we can do that..."

"It'll take them so long to shoot us down, we'll get another day to investigate!" Neptune finished. "That's A-plus brilliant!"

"B-but who else could we say did it?" The CPU Candidate asked worriedly.

Rei looked Nepgear in the eye. "Y-you're not going to like it, I'm afraid..."

"You don't mean..." Nepgear's eyes went wide.

The lawyer shook her head. "I'm so sorry, Nepgear... but it's either this, or a near-certain guilty verdict from the jury."

"Oooohh..." The CPU Candidate sighed, looking down forlornly. "Well, I guess if there's no other choice..."

 _July 8, 11:17 AM_

 _District Court_

 _Courtroom No. 3_

The gallery was chatting and mumuring as Neptune led her sister back into the courtroom, seating her back in the defendant's chair, as 'Yuu Kobayashi' retook her place behind the defense's bench.

Judge Kintobor nodded his head in relief, before banging his gavel. "All right, settle down, everyone. It looks as though Miss Nepgear has recovered, so now we can continue."

"Continue?" Segata shook his head. "Don't you mean 'end this trial', Your Honor?"

"OBJECTION!" Rei shouted, as Neptune stood by her side once more. "Shame on you, Mr. Sanshiro. Now who's jumping the gun? After all..." She slammed her fists on the bench. "There is still a viable alternate suspect in this case!"

"There is?" The judge blinked.

The prosecutor shook his head. "I grow bored of this. Fair warning, Ms. Kobayashi... If you waste any more of my time, I will judo-flip you!"

"Meep!" Rei squeaked, sweating.

"Now, now, Mr. Sanshiro," Judge Kintobor shook his head. "There's no need to resort to violence, when a simple penalty will do." He then banged his gavel. "Very well then, Ms. Kobayashi. Who is this other viable suspect?"

The lawyer cleared her throat, before standing straight again, crossing her arms. "Isn't it obvious, Your Honor? The other suspect is none other than Mortez Doez himself!"

"Whaaaaa-?!" yelled Morty. "Me?!"

"You were the one who designed the suit in the first place!" Rei accused, pointing her finger at the student. "Which means you were also the one who programmed it! It's not inconceivable to think you had a battle routine imbedded in the mech suit's software!"

"Gurk!" Mortez flinched.

"OBJECTION!" Segata protested. "There is absolutely no proof of this!"

"OBJECTION!" Rei shot back. "True, the suit's programming was wiped out... but was it due to battle damage, or did Mr. Doez program it to wipe itself upon shutdown?!"

"Gahh!" Segata crossed his arms in front of himself, as if to block an incoming punch.

"W-wait a minute!" Morty protested. "W-why the heck would I do something like that, anyway?!"

"You yourself told me that your brother was arrested for domestic terrorism using one of your prototypes," Rei argued. "Maybe criminal behavior runs in the family!"

"Aaaarrgghhh!" Mortez recoiled as if he'd been hit with an uppercut. The crowd went into a tizzy, prompting Judge Kintobor to bang his gavel several times.

"Order! Order! Order in the court!"

"OBJECTION!" cried Segata. "Your argument smacks of desperation! Surely IF and her fellow agents have already looked into this!"

"Actually..." IF spoke up. "No. We didn't."

"W-what?!" gasped the judo master, now visibly sweating.

"The trial date was set right after the incident occured! We didn't have time!" IF protested. "We barely had time to process the crime scene!"

"NGAAHH!" Segata once again 'blocked' a blow, before taking a defensive position.

Rei Ryghts slammed her fists on the bench again. "Your Honor, this is a miscarriage of justice!" Pointing at the judge, she declared, "How could you allow this case to proceed to deliberations... with an incomplete investigation?!"

"W-what are you pointing at me for?!" Judge Kintobor cried, flustered. "I'm not the one that set the trial date!"

"Maybe not," Rei crossed her arms, "but there is still something you can do, Your Honor..."

The judge narrowed his eyes at the defense attorney. "...Ms. Kobayashi. I can't say I appreciate your tone of voice. But, very well." He then banged his gavel, before declaring, "We will suspend proceedings for today, in order to allow Miss Factory and her colleagues to conduct a more thorough investigation. ...with emphasis on Mortez Doez's assets."

"Nnngghh..." Mortez was visibly distraught, sweat beading on his face.

"We will reconvene tomorrow at 10 AM," the judge stated. "That is all, court is adjourned."

 _July 8, 11:38 AM_

 _District Court_

 _Defendant Lobby No. 3_

Rei let loose with a huge sigh of relief as she and the two Planeptune goddesses trudged into the lobby. "Pheeeeeww... that was t-too close."

"But still, you did it!" Neptune pointed out. "Now we have a chance to actually find some real evidence!"

"I'm not so happy..." sighed Nepgear, tapping her index fingers together. "Poor Morty... I still don't think he did anything wrong..."

"I-I know," Rei acknowledged. "L-look, I was j-just playing for t-time there."

"Right, I understand..." The CPU Candidate nodded grimly.

"You just hang in there, sis," Neptune patted Nepgear on the shoulder. "Come tomorrow, it's gonna be a whole new ball game! There's no way we'll let you get convicted for this!"

Nepgear allowed herself a tiny smile. "Thanks, Neptune..." With that, she let herself be escorted away by the bailiff.

"OK, then! Time to go investigate!" declared the CPU, before her stomach suddenly growled. "Um, oops... maybe we should go back to the Basilicom and have some lunch first, hee hee..."

"S-sounds good," Rei nodded, smiling. "I'm k-kind of famished myself..."

With that, the two women left the courthouse...

To be continued...


	5. Investigation, Day 2

It's time for a new chapter! Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far!

Drean- Not. Even. Close. :P But not a completely illogical conclusion to draw...

DracoSlayer95- Segata Sanshiro lives in the mountains training most of the time, so he has next to no interaction with the goddesses. That being said, he realizes that if the Planeptune Basilicom was destroyed, the nation's economy would be devastated at the very least, which would be bad for him as he could no longer 'persuade' (read: beat into submission) people to play Planeptune's console. Thus his (near-)heroic sacrifice (in this universe, anyway).

Also, about not using bold/italics, I kinda grew up in the era where most fan-fiction was displayed in plain text (.txt) files, which had none of those things, so it's kinda influenced my writing style a bit.

T00N- I was hoping someone would catch that reference. I gave the judge the first name of Theodore in reference to Eggman originating from a caricature of President Theodore 'Teddy' Roosevelt.

Rei Ryghts: Ace Attorney

The Mech-Suit's Turnabout

by Derald Snyder

Investigation- Day 2

Court Record:

-Pudding

-Mech Remote

-Crime Scene Diagram

-Mech Suit Helmet

 _July 8, 12:31 PM_

 _Planeptune Basilicom_

 _Neptune's Room_

*Om nom nom nom nom* was the only sound Neptune made as she chowed down on a small pile of food, Rei looking on incredulously as she munched on her sandwich.

"Neptune, please, slow down before you choke on something..." Histoire sighed, looking as if this hadn't been the first time she'd dealt with this.

The CPU swallowed her food, before saying, "Sorry Histy, but I don't wanna waste time here! We gotta hurry up and eat so we can go find clues to prove Nep Jr. innocent!" *chomp, chomp, gulp*

"I'm guessing this is an everyday thing with you?" Rei looked over at Planeptune's Oracle sympathetically.

"Pretty much..." the fairy nodded. "Either that or trying to wake her up so she can get to work..."

"Oh, I'm working today!" Neptune declared. "I'll work as hard as I can to save my sister from that cold dark jail cell!" She took another bite, which she tore apart with a few chews before swallowing. "No sleeping on the job this time!"

"Speaking of which..." Histoire began, flying over to the TV. "You might want to take a look at this..." Switching it on, the screen displayed static for a few moments, before clearing.

"This is the lovely Abnes, speaking to you from the Planeptune Higher Learning Institute!" A girl dressed in pink and skulls, with long blonde hair, spoke to the camera. "We're here today at the annual PHLI Robotics Expo, where some crazy person in a mech suit is trashing the place!"

"Ehhhhhh?!" Neptune stared at the screen in disbelief, pieces on food dribbling down her chin. "Abnes exists in this dimension too?"

Abnes continued, "We've taken shelter inside the main building, as the guy in the suit seems to be targeting the Expo exclusively. And where is our beloved goddess Purple Heart in our hour of need?" The camera panned to a sleeping Neptune. "Sleeping on the job, that's what! How disgraceful!"

"Hey!" yelled the NPC with Neptune, getting up. "Turn that thing off!" he yelled as he threw his hand in front of the lens, before everything went static again.

Rei blinked a few times. "That's... not good, is it?"

"Not at all," sighed Histoire. "Which is why you really need to get Nepgear acquitted. And I mean a complete acquittal. A mistrial isn't going to cut it..."

"What the heck! Why didn't Iffy's friend tell us about this before?!" The CPU protested.

"Maybe because you were all gung ho about confronting Morty over what happened," Rei pointed out.

Neptune recoiled slightly at this. "Oh, right... guess we never gave him the chance..." She then heaved a sigh. "Why didn't you guys try to wake me up sooner?"

"We tried," the lawyer argued, "but you wouldn't wake up no matter what we did! That's why... I felt I had no choice but to..." She looked down at this.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm somewhat glad you did," Histoire said. "If if hadn't been for you, innocents would have been killed, and the situation would be even worse."

"Why the heck would someone go out of their way to do this to Nepgear, anyway?!" Neptune pouted. "She wouldn't hurt a fly! ...well, I mean, she kills monsters, sure, but..."

"You can't think of anyone who might have a grudge against your sister?" Rei inquired.

The CPU shook her head. "Not a one." Something then came to her. "But I didn't know about Morty, either, until we met him yesterday! Maybe there's something else Nep Jr. hasn't told me..."

"Perhaps we should go see her then," Rei suggested. "She's probably in better spirits than yesterday..."

The CPU nodded. "OK, then! Let's go!" Grabbing Rei by the hand, she ran out of the room dragging the lawyer with her. "Bye, Histy! See you later!"

 _July 8_

 _Detention Center_

 _Visitor's Room_

Rei and Neptune sat on one side of a pane of glass, watching as Nepgear was escorted into the room, taking her seat on the other side of said glass.

"Hey Nep Jr.!" Neptune greeted. "How're you holding up? No one's abusing you or anything, are they?"

"I-I'm fine," The CPU Candidate forced a smile. "Actually, everyone's been treating me fairly well... though, the food here is pretty bland..."

Rei cut in, "Nepgear, I don't want to be too forward, but... is there anyone you haven't told us about, that might be upset or angry with you?"

Nepgear considered for a moment, before shaking her head. "I'm sorry, I can't think of anyone from recently... no one that would be upset enough to do something like this to me, anyway..."

"Well, how about un-recently?" her sister prodded.

Nepgear could only sigh. "The only one I could think of would be that Underling from ASIC, but we haven't seen hide nor hair of her since the Deity of Sin was destroyed..."

"ASIC?" Rei blinked in confusion.

"Oh, right," Neptune muttered. "You hadn't been created as a character yet, this was from the previous game before your debut..." She then briefly explained about the Arfoire Syndicate of International Crime, and the events leading up to the defeat of the Deity of Sin...

"...Wow. Held prisoner by effective devil-worshippers for three years." The former goddess shook her head. "That's horrible... but what about this Underling character? She wasn't killed like the others?"

"No, she escaped," Nepgear sighed. "She was always pretty good at that..."

"So, just in case, what does she look like?" Rei asked.

Nepgear closed her eyes for a moment. "Let's see... short green hair, red eyes, pale skin, dresses in black..."

"HOLD IT!"

"Eeeep!" squeaked Nepgear in surprise. "What the goodness! Don't yell like that!"

Rei turned to her companion. "Neptune, remember? The woman who sold you the pudding! She fits the description perfectly!"

"Aaaaaaahhh!" cried Neptune in shock. "Holy fish sticks, you're right! It was her! I can't believe I didn't make the connection sooner!"

"But if it was her, what was she doing there?" Nepgear pondered.

(Wait... if this 'Underling' sold Neptune pudding... and then she fell asleep right after... That's it!) "Neptune, what if the pudding she gave you was spiked? That would explain why we couldn't wake you up!"

"No waaay!" The CPU gasped. "She used my favorite food against me?! That's lower than low! We gotta find her!"

"Whoa, whoa, hold on a second," Rei said. "You say you're not stupid, so use your brain! Why would this Underling spike your cup of pudding?"

"Revenge, duh!" Neptune immediately responded. "What else?"

"The fact that she pulled this on you just before the mech suit attacked the expo!" The lawyer pointed out.

"Oh my goodness!" gasped Nepgear. "That can't be a coincidence!"

"Exactly," Rei nodded. "If there's anything I've learned in my law career, it's that there's no such thing as coincidence when it comes to criminal acts."

"Wait, are you saying that Underling drugged me so I wouldn't be able to stop Nepgear's supposed attack on the expo?!" Neptune exclaimed, her eyes shrunk to white circles.

"But if that's true, then..." Nepgear trailed off.

"Right," nodded Rei. "It seems there's a bit more to this incident than meets the eye."

"But how are we going to prove that Neptune was drugged?" The CPU Candidate worried. "If I know that woman, she's probably disposed of all the evidence by now..."

"Not all of it," Rei smirked. "After all..." She pulled a familiar object from her purse. "...I never ate my pudding."

"Whoo-hoo!" exclaimed Neptune. "Am I glad you're not a big eater like me! Let's get that pudding over to Iffy and get it tested!" She promptly grabbed Rei by the hood of her hoodie, dragging her off. "Bye, Nepgear! Thanks for giving us a lead!"

"Bye, Neptune..." Nepgear smiled as she was led back to her cell by the guard.

 _July 8_

 _Planeptune Higher Learning Institute_

 _Western Gate_

"You sure she's here?" Neptune inquired.

"This was where I met her yesterday," Rei nodded. "See, there's the van." As they approached the vehicle, the sliding door opened, a black-shadowed male NPC climbing out.

"If you're looking for IF- no pun intended- she's not here," the man spoke. "She's over at the Robotics Garage turning over every speck of dust in Mortez Doez's possessions."

Rei blinked. "Wait a minute... I know your voice. Aren't you the man who was with me and Neptune when the attack started yesterday?"

"Guilty as charged," the NPC chuckled. "And yes, I knew your true identity all along."

"Wait a nep!" The CPU cut in. "Does that mean you and Iffy and the others were spying on us the whole time? I thought she said she was on a secret mission!"

The man turned his head away. "I... can't really say anything about that. You'll have to ask IF herself."

"Well, c-can you s-say anything about Abnes c-catching Neptune sleeping o-on c-camera?" the lawyer stuttered slightly.

"Oh, that..." the NPC agent sighed. "Sorry about that, I was so focused on miss Neptune herself, I didn't notice Abnes and her crew until they were right on top of us."

"Hey, it ain't your fault," Neptune reassured. "After all, it turns out I might've been put in dreamland on purpose!"

The man visibly recoiled. "W-what? Is that true? But how?"

Rei pulled out her cup of pudding. "We have reason to believe that Neptune was sold a cup of pudding that was drugged. The saleswoman fits the description of a former member of ASIC."

"ASIC?!" the NPC gasped in shock. "I'd heard they were all destroyed!"

"One Underling got away," muttered Neptune. "Now that I've thought about it, that saleslady was her without a doubt! She sure knew my weaknesses..."

"W-which is why we n-need to have t-this pudding tested," Rei added. "I-it hasn't b-been opened y-yet, so..."

"Say no more, " the shadow-man nodded. "I'll take it to Forensics and have them process it ASAP."

**Pudding handed over to Guild agent.**

"Thanks a lot!" Neptune beamed. "You're a big help for a minor character! C'mon Rei, let's go see Iffy!" She grabbed Rei by the hand, only for the former goddess to pull it away.

"I c-can w-walk by m-myself, t-thank you..."

 _July 8_

 _Planeptune Higher Learning Institute_

 _Robotics Garage_

IF was supervising her fellow agents as they left no stone unturned in their search when the two ladies arrived. Mortez himself, however, was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey there, Iffy!" Neptune greeted. "How's your search going?"

"Hey there, Neptune, Rei," IF greeted back as she turned to face them. "Not too well, I'm afraid... we haven't found anything that support's Rei's theory. Either Morty's really good at covering his tracks, or..."

"...he wasn't involved, except for building the suit." Rei finished, sighing. "Well, I d-didn't really t-think that was g-going t-to pan out, anyway. I just w-wanted to avoid a g-guilty verdict right t-there."

"So, we're back to square one. Suckitude." Neptune muttered. "But at least Nep Jr. gave us a lead!"

"She did?" IF blinked in surprise. "What did she say?"

"Well, blah blah blah-de-blah..." Neptune began.

"Yadda yadda yadda..." Rei added.

IF's eyes went wide with shock. "Underling was there? And she sold Neptune drugged pudding?!"

"W-we think s-so, anyway," Rei asserted. "W-we already gave m-my cup of p-pudding to one of y-your agents t-to get it t-tested..."

"Hold on a sec," muttered Iffy as she pulled her mobile device from her pocket, then tapped on the touch screen for a bit, before showing them a profile picture of Underling. "So, this is the one that sold you pudding?"

"That's her!" Rei confirmed. "I mean, her eyes were closed at the time, but that's definitely the woman!"

"Probably why I didn't recognize her at first," The CPU muttered, sweatdropping. "That, and she was all smiles and sunshine..."

"Figures," sighed IF. "I was afraid something like this was gonna happen..."

"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Neptune. "Does this have something to do with your so-called 'secret mission'?"

The agent lightly bit her lip. "Well, like I said to Rei yesterday, it's related... But, I don't think there's any proof of who or what we're looking for... yet."

Neptune argued, "But, if that Underling drugged me to sleep, so I wouldn't be able to stop Nepgear, isn't that proof of some sort of conspiracy?"

"Problem is, Segata Sanshiro could very easily argue that Underling was acting on her own, and her crime taking place at the same time as the attack was just coincidence," Rei explained.

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Rei on this one," IF concurred. "I mean, it looks suspicious, sure, but it's not proof..."

"Ugh!" Neptune groaned, hanging her head. "He would say that, wouldn't he..." Looking up again, she turned to Rei. "What about you, Rei? I mean, you were there, so... wasn't there anything that seemed weird to you?"

The lawyer shook her head. "N-nothing that hasn't b-been d-discussed in court already... I m-mean, things happened r-really fast, and I w-was just t-trying to focus a-and not go b-berserk again... Honestly, m-my clearest memory w-was when I p-pulled the helmet off, j-just because I w-was so s-shocked to see N-Nepgear in there..." Suddenly something occurred to her. "Wait, when I pulled the helmet off, she yelled 'This isn't what it looks like!' and she was practically begging me to get her out of there..."

"You can't exactly say that in court without outing yourself, though..." IF pointed out.

"I know, but I wasn't the only one there!" Rei pointed out. "When I started to pull the suit apart to free Nepgear, those two security guards showed up! And Nepgear was screaming pretty loud, so..."

"What, you want to call *them* as witnesses?" IF muttered in disbelief. "They seemed pretty convinced that Nepgear was guilty..."

Rei flinched. "W-well, we s-should at l-least question t-them..."

"I agree!" Neptune nodded firmly. "At the very least, I wanna give them a piece of my mind about how they treated Nep Jr. yesterday! Do you know where they are, Iffy?"

"Not exactly..." The Guild agent shrugged. "But I can at least point you to the security office. Maybe, if you're lucky, you'll catch one or both of them there..." She then gave them directions.

"OK, got it! C'mon, let's go, Rei!" Neptune moved to grab Rei again, but thought better of it, instead beckoning the former goddess to follow as she walked off.

"C-coming!" Rei ran after her...

 _July 8_

 _Planeptune Higher Learning Institute_

 _Security Office_

The office in question was somewhat large, but rather simple in design. There were waiting chairs sitting around a low wooden table, bulletin boards on the walls with several papers attached, most of them detailing campus rules and regulations. Across from the door was the security desk, where a lone guard was apparently napping. Behind him was another door, that led into the back, the window tinted to make it harder to see what was inside.

"Well, there's *a* security guard here..." Neptune sighed. Looking around, one of the papers on a bulletin board caught her eye. "Hmm, 'Security Staff Roster', huh?" Detaching the stapled papers from the board, she started looking through it... "Might be useful if have talk to anyone else that was supposed to be watching the expo..."

*Security Staff Roster added to the Court Record.*

"A-are you s-sure you should j-just be swiping p-papers from t-the security o-office?" Rei asked nervously.

The purple-haired goddess rolled her eyes. "C'mon, it's just a listing of their staff! They can always print off another one, right?"

"I-I guess..." the lawyer sighed as she walked up to the desk. "U-um, e-excuse me, sir... we n-need to talk..." All she got in response was a snore. Turning to Neptune, she asked, "Um... maybe y-you could... w-whistle him awake?" She promptly covered her ears in anticipation...

The CPU smirked mischievously. "Oh, I can do that..." Putting her pinky fingers to the corners of her mouth, she whistled as long and hard as she could.

"WAAHH! W-what in tarnation-?!" The guard's black eyes opened wide as he jerked awake, swiftly shifting into a proper sitting position, before his eyes focused on on the two women. "Oh, uh, g'morning, ladies..."

"Actually, it's afternoon," Rei pointed out.

"Yeeaahh, kinda bad form for a security guard to be sleeping on the job like that..." Neptune added.

"Ah heh heh heh heh..." The guard removed his hat in embarrassment, revealing a messy mop of short brown hair. "Yeah, that was kinda dumb o' me, huh? So, ah... what can Ah do for ya?"

Rei cleared her throat. "W-well you see, we're looking for the security guards that were on-duty at the time of the Robotics Expo attack..."

"Well, today's yer lucky day then, cause you're talking to 'em. Er, one of 'em, anyway," the guard quickly corrected himself. "Name's Drew Pollock. And you are?"

"Yuu Kobayashi. I'm representing Nepgear at her trial." Rei then gestured to Neptune. "And I'm pretty sure you know who this is..."

"Yeah, Ah know," Drew nodded. "Kinda hard not to know the local CPU... But honestly, who woulda thought your lil' sister was capable of such a thing?"

"Nepgear is innocent!" Neptune protested. "And we're going to prove it!"

"Yeah, well, good luck with that... Ah mean, no offense, but she *was* inside that there mecha-suit. Ah should know, me and my brother were the ones who took her in..."

"Which is why we wanted to talk to you," said Rei. "We wanted to ask about what you witnessed at the time of the incident."

Drew was about to answer when the door behind him suddenly opened. "Then Ah would ask that y'all direct your questions to me," stated the man who emerged. He was similar in appearance to Drew, though his face seemed a bit sharper, and his hair was black. "Ah'm the older brother, Andrew Pollock."

(Drew and Andrew? Not exactly original...) Rei thought to herself.

"Ah know what y'all are thinkin'," Andrew stated. "Let's just say our lovin' parents weren't the brightest bulbs."

"Yeah, but Andy shore is!" Drew added. "He's the first one o'us to graduate high school!"

"So did you, bro..." Andrew pointed out.

"Only 'cause ya gave me the answers to them exam- OW!" Drew yelled as his brother dope-slapped him.

"Y'all are gonna hafta excuse my brother here," Andrew sighed. "He's gotta habit o'lettin stupid stuff drop from 'is yap sometimes."

"Speaking of stupid stuff, I heard you put my sister through the wringer in interrogation yesterday!" Neptune accused. "She was a real mess in court this morning, you know! I mean, I know you gotta do your jobs, but sheesh! She's like a delicate flower, you know?"

"Not our fault she wouldn't confess..." muttered Drew, only to get slapped by his brother again. "OW!"

"Watch how you're speakin' to this girl, Drew..." Andrew shook his head. "She ain't just some valley girl, she's Lady Purple Heart herself!" He then bowed to the CPU briefly. "Look, Ah admit we mighta been a little rough on 'er, but as far as we was concerned, she was caught red-'anded!"

"Speaking of which," Rei cut in, "I wanted to ask you about the time where you confronted Rei Ryghts and arrested Nepgear."

The younger brother shuddered in response. "I tell ya, that was dang scary! I thought me an' Andy were both goners for sure!"

"Indeed," Andrew concurred. "I suppose we was fortunate that psycho didn't think we were worth 'er time..."

(Well, you certainly are now...) The bluenette smirked inwardly, while keeping her face neutral. "What about Nepgear? Did you hear her say anything right after Rei Ryghts pulled off the helmet?"

Andrew hesitated for a moment. "...Nope. Can't say we did."

"Not a thing," Drew added.

"OBJECTION!" Neptune yelled, pointing her finger at the two guards. "Iffy, I mean, Agent IF told us that Nep Jr. was hysterical and screaming when you arrested her!"

"Uh... W-well, yeah, she *was* screamin' and stuff," Drew stuttered a bit. "Ah mean, who wouldn't be, when y'all are face ta face with a psycho? But it weren't nothin'... ah... what's the word, Andy?"

"Coherent, Drew."

"Right! Nothin' co-here-ant!" Drew finished, looking pleased he'd pronounced it correctly.

"...is that all, ladies?" the older brother asked. "We've gotta start our here patrol soon..."

"We do?" Drew looked at Andy quizzingly.

Andrew shot back, "A'course we do! That watcha get fer sleepin on the job, dagnabbit!"

"Ack! Ah'm sorry, bro! Please don' smack me again!" Drew cowered.

"Right, well, just make sure at least one of you two is ready to be called as a witness!" said Neptune quickly, before grabbing Rei and dragging her off yet again. "Bye-bye, gentlemen!"

 _July 8_

 _Planeptune Higher Learning Institute_

 _Security Parking Lot_

Once they were outside, Rei pulled her hand away from Neptune. "What was that all about?"

The goddess responded by holding out the staff roster she'd swiped earlier. "I just looked through here, and those two aren't anywhere on this roster!"

"What?!" the lawyer gasped, taking the roster and skimming through it herself. "Oh my gosh, you're right! Neither Andrew or his brother are on here!" She quickly checked the date on the paper. "And this roster is only dated from last month, so..."

"Yeah. Definitely suspicious," Neptune nodded. "Seeing as we're in the parking lot, maybe should try finding their car and searching it for clues!"

"I'm n-not sure if w-we'd b-be allowed to d-do that..." sighed Rei as she looked out over the lot. "Besides, a-all t-these cars look t-the same..." She blinked. "...wait a minute..." Handing the roster back to her companion, she began walking to one car that looked different from the rest.

"Huh? What's up?" the CPU asked as she followed Rei. The former goddess came to a stop, before framing the car with her hands as she slowly walked around it...

"...Yes. This is it! I'm sure of it!" Rei nodded to herself. "This is the car I saw behind the guards when they drew their guns on me!"

"Really? Wow, way for your memory to come through in the clutch!" Neptune exclaimed happily as she put her hands up to the driver's window, before peering inside. "Heeeey, I see a laptop of some sort in here!"

"HOLD IT!" a voice called out from a distance, causing the goddess to jump away from the car like it was a live wire.

"Ahhhh! I didn't do anything!" Neptune yelled in panic, as she raised her hands in the air.

"I-it's j-just IF, Neptune..." Rei sighed as she watched the agent run up to them.

The CPU heaved a sigh as she let her hands drop, turning to face the new arrival. "Sheesh, Iffy, you nearly gave me a heart attack..."

"For good reason!" IF shot back. "Just what do you think you're doing? You know you can't look into other people's cars without permission!"

"B-but this is the car those guards were driving during the attack!" Neptune protested. "And besides, they're not really security guards anyway!"

"Huh...?" IF sweatdropped. "What do you mean, 'not real security guards'?"

Rei explained, "We looked through this listing of security staff, and we couldn't find their names anywhere. Maybe they're some of the people you were searching for on your secret mission?"

The agent frowned at this. "What are their names?"

"Drew and Andrew Pollock. Do they sound familiar?"

"Hmmm..." IF scratched the side of her head, her eyes shut as she racked her brain. "I'm not really sure... I almost think I've heard their names before, but I couldn't say from where..."

"Maybe you should dust their desks for fingerprints or something," Neptune suggested.

"...Wow, Neptune. That's not a bad idea. I'll text my fellow agents and see if they can get some of their fingerprints discreetly." She pulled out her mobile device and started texting.

"So does that mean we can search their car?" The CPU inquired.

"Not without probable cause," IF shook her head. "Like I said with Underling earlier, they're not being on the security roster is suspicious, but not proof of wrongdoing."

"Oh come on!" Neptune protested. "This might be the big clue we need to break the case! Can't you throw us a bone here, Iffy?"

The agent sighed. "I'm telling you, we have no legal means to search the car..." She trailed off as an idea came to mind. "...but maybe I can find out some info on the car itself."

"R-really? How?" Rei asked.

"Simple, we just have to get the VIN number off the car."

"Vin number?" muttered Neptune in confusion. "As in Vin Diesel?"

IF rubbed her temples in exasperation. "VIN stands for Vehicle Identification Number," she explained. "It's a unique code used by the automotive industry to identify individual motor vehicles, towed vehicles, motorcycles, scooters and mopeds. It's like a social security number for cars instead of people. If I can get this car's VIN number, I can look up the NepCarFax report on it."

"How the heck is that gonna help us?" the goddess sighed.

"It'll tell us who's owned the car recently, where it's been, what condition it's in," said IF. "Also, if this car has GPS, I could also look up exactly where it's been driven the past few days... including the day of the expo attack."

Rei's eyes lit up. "And if the car was somewhere it wasn't supposed to be during the time of the attack..."

"Then those two guards are as good as nailed!" Neptune finished. "So what are you waiting for, Iffy?"

"...I don't want to get my fingerprints on the car," she responded, pulling out a pair of latex examination gloves. "I mean, I don't want to give Segata Sanshiro any ammunition to have this car excluded from evidence." Gloves donned, she added, "You two keep a lookout for anyone while I check the number, OK?"

"A-all right..." "You got it, Iffy!"

Thankfully, no one showed up in the brief time if took IF to check the number under the windshield and enter it into her mobile device. "OK, got it. Now let's look up the NepCarFax report..." She tapped the screen a few more times, until the report appeared. "Well, look at this... this car's a used police car, and it was only purchased two weeks ago, by Mr. Andrew Pollock himself!"

Neptune and Rei gathered around IF to look for themselves. "Wow, this car cost 9,500,000 credits!" Neptune exclaimed. "That's not cheap!"

"Actually, this is the running price for most used police cars," IF stated. "But why purchase a car like this, when the Institute provides a security car for you?"

"B-because t-they're n-not real s-security guards?" Rei proposed.

"Whoo-hoo! Pollock Bros, you are so busted!" The CPU proclaimed happily. "Now all we gotta do is drag them into court tomorrow and expose 'em for the frauds they are!"

"I'll get a printed report to you guys as soon as I can," said IF. "In the meantime, we better get going before those two come back..."

"OK, then! Zoom, zoom, zoom!" cried the CPU as she grabbed both of her companions by the hand, running out of the lot with them in tow...

*NepCarFax Report added to the Court Record.*

Rei thought to herself, (First a former enemy of Neptune and Nepgear, and now two security guards who weren't really... There's definitely something sinister going on behind the scenes at this school... But how does it all add together? The only way to find out... is to pursue the truth in court tomorrow, and see where it leads us!)

To be continued...

As always, read and review!


	6. Trial, Day 2

At long last, the next chapter is here! I used a different format than the last trial chapter, so hopefully it flows better this time!

Drean- Nope, no Pirachu this time. Honestly, the rat didn't even cross my mind when I first conceived this story...

T00N- No other goddesses showing up? *pulls out dead crow* Go and read the first part of this chapter, then take this and eat it! XD

Rei Ryghts: Ace Attorney

The Mech-Suit's Turnabout

by Derald Snyder

Trial- Day 2

Court Record:

-Mech Remote

-Crime Scene Diagram

-Mech Suit Helmet

-Security Staff Roster

-NepCarFax Report

 _July 9, 8:34 AM_

 _Planeptune Basilicom_

 _Neptune's Room_

"...and that's the situation so far," Histoire finished her explanation to Vert and Blanc over the video feed.

"Poor little Nepgear..." sighed Vert. "She's done so much for Gamindustri, and now, to be locked away like a common criminal..."

"Hey, don't worry!" said Neptune as she finished munching on a donut. "We found some real hinky stuff yesterday, so once we hit Mr. Sanshiro with it in court, Nep Jr's gonna be good as acquitted!"

"I'm n-not so c-confident," Rei sighed as she nibbled at her oatmeal. "We f-found a lot of s-suspicious t-things, but I'm n-not quite s-so sure h-how they all t-tie t-together yet..."

"I have faith in you," Blanc spoke up, before muttering under her breath, "...never thought I'd be saying that to Rei Ryghts of all people..." Straightening up, she continued, "Anyway, you have a proven track record here in Lowee, even when, and especially if, the odds seem against you. I'm sure Nepgear is in good hands."

"Let's hope so," sighed Histoire. "Shares are still dropping, especially with Agnes' broadcast. Of all the threats we've faced, I can't imagine a simple trial would have the potential to end Planeptune as a nation, at least as we know it. If I didn't know any better, I'd think this was a deliberate plot to discredit both Neptune and Nepgear in the eyes of the people..."

Rei paused mid-bite. (Wait a minute... what if that *is* the purpose of whoever set up Nepgear? That would mean...!) "Histoire, that's brilliant! I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner!"

Neptune looked over at Rei in confusion. "Wait, huh? You think Histy's on to something?"

The lawyer nodded firmly. "Yes, I do. I think now I have an actual plan of attack for today's trial." Taking another bite of oatmeal, she continued, "I just hope my arguments will convince the jury..."

"Well, I'm sure anyone in Planeptune with common sense would think it strange that little Nepgear would just go off the deep end and attack her own people," Vert argued. "I wouldn't think it would be too hard to convince them, anyway..."

Histoire sighed, "Well, I guess I should be happy for actually contributing something to this story, and not just being a forgettable side-character..."

"...Seems Neptune's penchant for breaking the fourth wall has rubbed off on you," Blanc observed. "Anyway, we'd better get going. We have our own nations to tend to, after all. And Rei?"

"Y-yes?" the former goddess sat up straight.

"You'd better not lose this damn trial!" Lowee's CPU growled, her left eye glowing red. "Or else I'll fly down there in HDD and bring my axe down on your head!"

"Eeeeep!" Rei cowered. "I-I'll do m-my best n-not to l-lose! I promise!"

Blanc nodded. "You'd better. Bye for now." With that, the transmission cut off.

Rei heaved a sigh. "A-as if I d-didn't have e-enough p-pressure already..."

*chomp, chomp, swallow* Neptune polished off the last of her breakfast, before stating, "It's cool, Rei. After all, we're in a lot better position than we were yesterday." She transformed into her HDD form, Purple Heart. "Come. It is time for us to head to the courthouse."

"J-just don't f-fly so f-fast this t-time, please..." the lawyer groaned as she got her things together...

 _July 9, 9:40 AM_

 _District Court_

 _Defendant Lobby No. 3_

"Good morning," Nepgear said to Neptune and Rei as the bailiff escorted her in, before unlocking her handcuffs.

"Morning Nep Jr.!" Neptune greeted. "You don't look as bad as yesterday, at least..."

Nepgear just smiled at her sister in response. Turning to Rei, the CPU Candidate asked, "So, did you find any actual evidence this time?"

"I believe so," the lawyer nodded. "Although, IF's supposed to be delivering some more evidence to us... Oh, there she is." She turned to acknowledge the Guild agent as she walked into the lobby. "Good morning, IF."

"Hey, Iffy! Got some stuff for us?" Neptune asked eagerly.

"I sure do!" IF replied, pulling out a few papers. "First, here's that paper copy of the NepCarFax Report I promised... also, I managed to get the GPS coordinates for the Pollock's car on the day of the attack. I've noted the points of interest on the crime scene diagram here..."

*Crime Scene Diagram updated in Court Record.*

Nepgear took a look at the diagram. "Wow, those two guards did a good job keeping up with me, huh?"

(Almost *too* good a job...) Rei couldn't help but think.

"Hey, what about the pudding and fingerprints?" Neptune inquired. "You get the results back on those yet?"

IF's face turned apologetic. "Well, we did get some fingerprints, but we haven't been able to analyze them yet, due to a backlog... As far as the pudding, Forensics is still checking it, but they did find something that wasn't part of the original recipe... and given that it was Underling who sold it to you..."

"S-so, i-it's safe t-to assume th-that t-the pudding was d-drugged?" Rei inquired nervously.

"Definitely a safe assumption to make," the agent nodded.

*Drugged Pudding added to the Court Record.*

"Anyway, I'll go back and check on the fingerprints, and see if we can get those analysts to get a move-on on those." Iffy then turned to Nepgear. "Oh, before I forget, Mortez wanted me to pass along a message to you..."

The younger sister's expression turned hopeful. "Really? What did he say?"

Iffy shook her head. "He's really upset at you for hijacking his suit, and then having him accused for the crime, especially since there was no proof... I'm sorry Nepgear, but Morty says as far as he's concerned, your friendship is over."

"Oh noooo..." Nepgear moaned in despair, hanging her head.

"I'm so sorry, Nepgear..." Rei apologized. "If there had been any other way yesterday..."

"Can't be helped, I guess," Neptune sighed. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm not really happy over this either..."

"Neither am I," muttered IF. "Anyway Nepgear, I'm wishing you good luck in court today. See you later." She then turned and walked out.

"Th-thank you, IF!" The CPU Candidate nodded, smiling slightly. "Good luck with your secret mission!"

"All righty then!" proclaimed Neptune. "It's time for Round 2 with Segata Sanshiro! And this time, *he's* gonna be the one flipped on his head!"

 _July 9, 10:00 AM_

 _District Court_

 _Courtroom No. 3_

"All Rise! Court is now in session for the trial of the State v. Nepgear, the honorable Judge Theodore Kintobor presiding."

"The defense is ready, Your Honor!" Rei stated with a confident air.

"I too, am prepared for battle," added Segata from behind the prosecutor's bench. "I did 100 cord pulls on my giant Sega Saturn this morning, so I am loose and limber!"

"I thought you were supposed to get your mind ready for court, not your body," Neptune quietly snarked to her companion.

"Well, good to see both the defense and prosecution so bright-eyed and bushy-tailed!" exclaimed the judge as he took his seat. "May as well get right to it then. Mr. Sanshiro, your opening statement, please."

"Thank you, Your Honor," stated the judo master. "Yesterday, the defense put forth the theory that Mortez Doez had reprogrammed his own mech suit to destroy the expo and not obey Nepgear's commands. However, an extensive search by IF and her colleagues failed to produce any evidence supporting this theory. Thus, Mr. Doez can not be the guilty party in this case. Also, it has been proven that it would have been impossible for any of the other students to have hijacked and controlled the mech themselves." He then karate-chopped the bench. "The only remaining explanation... is that miss Nepgear was in full control of her actions, and attacked the expo of her own will! And today I shall remove any doubts as to the defendant's guilt!"

"Don't be so quick to claim victory, mag- *ahem* Mister Sanshiro," Rei caught herself. "Let's see if your arguments stand up to scrutiny!"

"Careful, Yuu..." Neptune whispered. "You're slipping into your 'berserk' persona..."

Judge Kintobor banged his gavel. "It seems both sides have thrown down the gauntlet, so to speak. The prosecution may call its first witness."

"So be it! The prosecution calls miss Abnes to the stand!" declared Segata.

A loud *ga-thunk!* was heard as the courtroom doors were thrown open by said witness, who confidently marched to the witness stand. "Hello, everyone!" she said. "This is the lovely Abnes reporting to you live from Planeptune City District Court! I'm here today at the trial for CPU Candidate Nepgear, to give my testimony on my reporting at the scene of the crime!"

"Why the heck did he call her?!" Neptune whispered to her companion.

"We'll find out soon enough, I guess..." Rei whispered back.

"Well, I have to admit, I wasn't expecting a local celebrity as a witness," the judge chuckled."My granddaughter is a huge fan of yours, miss Abnes!"

"Is that right?" the reporter replied. "Maybe I'll give you an autograph later..."

"Miss Abnes. Your testimony." Segata ordered in a tone that would brook no argument.

"Tch! How rude!" muttered Abnes. "But, OK." Clearing her throat, she began, "My crew and I arrived in the north courtyard around noon. Suddenly, we saw some crazy person in a mech suit start destroying stuff to the south of us! We fled to the main building, following a man who appeared to be carrying a sleeping girl in his arms. Once we caught up to him, we discovered that said girl was none than Lady Purple Heart, CPU Neptune herself! How disgraceful to take a snooze right when your people need you!"

"Oh, come on!" Neptune protested. "How was I supposed to know something like that was gonna happen? I mean, just because I'm a CPU doesn't mean I'm clairvoyant!"

"I'm inclined to agree with miss Neptune," Judge Kintobor agreed. "Nobody's perfect, after all. And I don't exactly see how this removes any doubts as to the defendant's guilt..."

Segata explained, "When Agent IF described the event in court yesterday, I have to admit that there was one detail that bothered me. And that was the apparent decision by the defendant to attack the south courtyard first, though she launched from the north. But now, we have an answer!" Faux-chopping the bench, he declared, "The reason miss Nepgear did not attack the north courtyard first, was because her beloved sister was there! It was only after miss Neptune was safely out of danger that she moved to attacking the north courtyard!"

"No waaaaaay!" yelled Neptune, setting the gallery abuzz.

"Order! Order!" cried the judge as he gaveled the crowd down. "This testimony from miss Abnes is quite decisive if it stands!"

"Ughh..." the CPU groaned. "I can't believe he linked my napping to Nepgear's supposed actions during the attack!"

(Neither can I...) thought Rei, (but we're not licked yet...)

"Now then, Ms. Kobayashi, your cross-examination, please."

"Yes, Your Honor," the defense attorney nodded. "First of all, I'd like to ask the witness... why exactly were you at the expo in the first place?"

"What do you mean by that?" Abnes asked.

Rei expounded, "I mean, no offense, but a robotics expo doesn't exactly seem like your cup of tea... Could it be that someone gave you a tip?"

"OBJECTION!" yelled Segata. "Ms. Kobayashi, even I know that it is illegal to ask a journalist about their sources, or try to coerce them into revealing them against their will!"

"Objection sustained," concurred Judge Kintobor. "I must disallow this line of questioning. Move on, Ms. Kobayashi."

"I don't need you two men coming to my rescue," muttered Abnes. "I can handle myself just fine!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Rei apologized. "I swear, that wasn't my intent!"

"Hmph. Just see that it doesn't happen again," said Segata.

"If it's any consolation, I was kinda wondering the same thing..." Neptune muttered.

Regaining her composure, Rei clearing her throat, before asking, "W-well, anyway... so, miss Abnes, you believe that my companion here was sleeping at the time of the incident?"

"Of course she was!" Abnes affirmed. "What are you implying?"

The lawyer shook her head. "Miss Abnes, you probably not even aware of this, but... Neptune wasn't sleeping. She had been drugged unconscious!"

Abnes blinked in shock. "Drugged...?"

"The proof is in the pudding, literally in this case. Just before Neptune fell asleep, she had consumed a cup of pudding. And despite my best efforts and those of a helpful NPC, we couldn't rouse her at all. On a hunch, I had my unopened pudding tested by forensics, and they found something in there was *not* part of the normal recipe!" Pulling out a photo, she continued, "And the one who sold us that pudding was none other than this woman! TAKE THAT!" She handed the photo to the bailiff, who promptly passed it to the judge.

"Oh my..." Judge Kintobor muttered as he observed the picture, "this lady certainly has a sinister air about her..."

"That, Your Honor, is because she is a former associate of the Arfoire Syndicate of International Crime, which was smashed by the efforts of Neptune and Nepgear several years ago!"

"Wh-whaaaaat?!" gasped Segata in surprise. "A former ASIC member?!"

"That's right!" Rei slammed her fists on the bench. "This Underling of ASIC deliberately drugged Neptune as part of a revenge plot!"

"R-revenge?" gasped Abnes. "But... but..."

"Miss Abnes. While I can't ask you about your sources, there's nothing forbidding me from guessing," the lawyer began. "I believe it was this Underling that called you to the expo on the day of attack, with one purpose!" Pointing her finger, she declared, "You were set-up to ensure that a sleeping Neptune was caught on camera during the crisis, to ensure that she was humiliated and discredited in the eyes of Planeptune's citizens!"

"Ngaahhh!" cried Segata as he 'blocked' an attack.

Abnes looked horrified. "I... was... set up? I... the lovely Agnes... was manipulated... by a criminal?" She let loose with a mournful wail as her skull bow came undone, her long hair frizzing out in several directions. "NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The crowd chattered at this. "Our lovely goddess was set up?" "She was drugged by that felon?!" "Of course! If she were awake, she would have stopped her sister!" "But those two would never work together! What does it mean?"

"Order! Order!" yelled Judge Kintobor as he banged his gavel several times. "Prosecutor Sanshiro. It seems Ms. Kobayashi has made a compelling argument. Do you have any objections?"

"...No, Your Honor," Segata deferred. "The prosecution is willing to concede that CPU Neptune was indeed drugged by this Underling character. However..." He karate chopped the bench. "It does not discount my previous theory, that Nepgear deliberately avoided harming her sister during the attack! The fact that miss Neptune was drugged is completely irrelevant!"

"Gurk!" Neptune grunted."Well, we figured he might say something like that..." she sighed to Rei, as the gallery murmured...

"HOLD IT!" cried Abnes, as she re-tied her skull-bow on her head. "Just a minute! I have something to say!"

"...well, say it then," muttered the prosecutor. "And make it fast. My patience is wearing thin."

"Don't rush me!" the journalist retorted as she finished fixing her bow. "Ms. Attorney, you're wrong about one thing. It wasn't this Underling that called me!"

"I-it wasn't?" the judge blinked in surprise.

Abnes shook her head. "No. It was an anonymous tip... and I'm pretty sure the caller was male." Taking a breath, she continued, "He told me to come to the Robotics Expo, specifically to the northern courtyard, around noon. 'It'll be the biggest scoop of your life!' he said." She then slammed her palms on the witness stand. "But, I certainly didn't expect me and my crew to be caught in the middle of a terrorist attack! I could have been killed! ...Anyway, that's all I know."

"Hmph. I still fail to see how any of this is relevant to the actions of the defendant..." Segata shook his head.

"And yet, the fact that this took place at the same time as the attack... I don't feel we can discount this completely," said Judge Kintobor. "I shall instruct the jury that they may consider part or all of miss Abnes' testimony in their deliberations."

*Abnes Testimony added to the Court Record.*

"Your Honor," Rei suddenly spoke up, "if I recall correctly, in a jury trial, the defense can call witnesses just as the prosecution can, correct?"

"Oh?" Judge Kintobor raised an eyebrow. "Did you have a specific witness in mind?"

"Yes, Your Honor," the bluenette nodded. "I'd like to call one of the two security guards that were on-duty at the time of the attack on the expo. Honestly, I'm surprised the prosecution hasn't called them yet..."

"I did not believe it necessary," the Savior of Saturn explained.

"Not necessary?" the lawyer shook her head. "With all due respect, Mr. Sanshiro, they were the two people closest to the action! Hearing about the attack from their perspective may shed some new light on this case!"

"I see your point," said the judge. "So, which of the two guards did you want to call?"

"The younger brother, Drew Pollock, Your Honor," Rei stated firmly.

Judge Kintobor nodded. "Very well then. Bailiff, have the younger Mr. Pollock summoned to the witness stand. In the meantime, we may as well take a short break. Court will now take a ten-minute recess." He banged his gavel to adjourn the court.

 _July 9, 10:43 AM_

 _District Court_

 _Defendant Lobby No. 3_

"Okay," Rei breathed out. "So far, so good."

"Nice work, Rei! That's one half of the Nep-sisters redeemed!" Neptune proclaimed happily. "Now we just have to clear the other half!"

Nepgear smiled nervously. "Th-that probably won't be so easy, though... But why call one of the guards as a witness?"

"Cause they're not real guards, that's why," Neptune explained.

"What?!" Nepgear exclaimed, her eyes shrinking to white circles.

"It's true," Rei nodded. "Not to mention Andrew seemed to be the point man of the group. But I figure if I can get the younger brother, Drew, by himself, I might be able to cause him to slip and reveal something that blows the case wide open."

"Ummm..." Nepgear began. "But don't you think the older brother would have coached him or something?"

"No worries," Neptune waved her off. "Once we hit this guy with the proof we've got, he'll crack like an egg! And then you'll be as good as acquitted!"

 _July 9, 10:53 AM_

 _District Court_

 _Courtroom No. 3_

Judge Kintobor banged his gavel to silence the crowd. "Court is now back in session. Prosecutor Sanshiro, is the witness prepared?"

"He is," Segata confirmed. "The older brother wanted to testify in his place, but he shut up when I threatened him with a judo flip."

"That'd make almost anyone shut up," Neptune commented. "Everyone fears the Segata Sanshiro Judo Flip(TM)."

Drew Pollock walked up to the witness stand looking slightly nervous. "Witness, your name and occupation for the record," Segata ordered.

"R-right. Ah'm Drew Pollock, and Ah'm a security guard for PHLI. Ah was there at the time that Expo got done blown to pieces by Nepgear..." He swallowed hard. "Sorry, Ah ain't never been infront-a so many people before..."

"Maybe he should try imagining the audience as fish heads," The purple-haired CPU silently snarked to her companion.

"Just tell the court what you witnessed on the day of the attack," Judge Kintobor instructed.

"Yeah, OK, shore, Ah can do that." Drew cleared his throat. "OK, so my older brother Andy and Ah were drivin' around the courtyard... well actually, Ah was the one drivin' but anyway... Suddenly, we see this big walking robot get blowed up! It was somebody in a purple-color mecha-suit-thingy! We did our best to chase after the varmint in our car, before that psycho goddess suddenly showed up! We kept a safe distance while they fought it out... Soon Rei Ryghts ended up winnin' and started pullin' that suit apart! Andy decided it was time to go in, and Ah followed, though Ah was scared outta my wits. Thank Goddess she decided we weren't worth 'er time and took off! After that, me an' Andy took that Nepgear into custody! We did the best jobs we could as security guards..."

"OBJECTION!" Rei suddenly interjected. "Doing your jobs as security guards? I think not, Mr. Pollock."

"Huh? What d'y'all mean?" Drew blinked in confusion.

Picking up some papers, the attorney explained, "I have here a listing of security staff taken straight from your office. And neither you or your brother are listed on here!"

The guard's eyes went wide. "Say wha-? We ain't listed?!"

"Furthermore," Rei continued, "The car you two used during the attack is not the same model as the standard-issue security car!" She slammed her bench. "So, tell me, Mr. Pollock, are you and your brother *really* security guards?"

"B-but... but..." Drew attempted to protest.

"OBJECTION!" Segata cut in. "Let me stop you right there, Ms. Kobayashi. That security roster you possess... tell me, when does it date from?"

"Last month, why?" Rei responded.

"Is there a problem, Mr. Sanshiro?" the judge asked.

"That security roster is outdated, Your Honor." Pulling out some papers of his own, the judo master explained, "I received an updated roster from the headmaster yesterday. It turns out Mr. Pollock and his brother were only hired recently, to provide additional security for the expo." He handed the papers to the bailiff, who handed them to the judge.

Judge Kintobor adjusted his glasses as he scanned the list. "Ah, yes! Here they are, under 'Auxiliary Staff.'"

*Security Staff Roster updated in Court Record.*

"Aw, fish biscuits!" muttered Neptune. "They really were security guards! Just our luck!"

"Well, Ms. Kobayashi? It seems your charge was baseless," the judge asserted. "Do you have any other questions for Mr. Pollock?"

"Actually, Your Honor..." she began. "If Mr. Pollock really is a security guard, that makes this piece of evidence even more suspicious! TAKE THAT!" She presented the car report.

"Oh? This appears to be a NepCarFax report," Kintobor observed.

"Correct. As I'm sure you know, every patrol guard hired by the Institute is assigned a car to use for their job. However, this car was purchased by Andrew Pollock two weeks ago, in the amount of 9,500,000 credits!"

"Nine and a half million?!" exclaimed the judge. "That seems a bit frivolous to me!"

"Exactly," Rei nodded. "So, Mr. Pollock, why buy such an expensive car when the school would have provided one for you?"

"Ah dunno!" Drew shrugged. "Ya'll said it yerself, it was Andy who bought the car! He said we needed it for the job! Who am Ah to question mah brother? He was always the smart one..."

"OBJECTION!" declared Segata. "Whatever car the Pollocks were driving is irrelevant to this case!"

"OBJECTION!" Rei retorted. "This is the exact car that was at the scene of the attack! I think it's very relevant to this case!"

"Order! Order!" the judge banged his gavel. "While the car seems insignificant, I'm willing to allow the defense some leeway here. ...provided they can prove just how the car is relevant."

"I can, Your Honor," the disguised lawyer stated confidently, pulling out the crime scene diagram. "Agent IF managed to obtain the GPS coordinates for this car on the day of the attack. This diagram has been noted with the points of interest in the car's path."

"Let me see that," Kintobor instructed. The diagram was passed through the bailiff's hands into his. "Hmm, well... it seems the Pollocks did quite a good job keeping up with the mech suit."

"No surprise there," Segata stated. "Just what does this prove?"

"Take a look at the earliest point on the diagram," Rei clarified.

Judge Kintobor did as stated. "This point, why, it's right next to the Robotics Garage! What were they doing all the way over there?"

"And only a few minutes later, Nepgear exits in the mech suit, with the car following closely behind," the bluenette pointed out. "Now if they thought something was suspicious, why not stop Nepgear right then and there?"

"U-um, well..." Drew Pollock ran a hand through his hair. "You'd have to ask Andy..."

"I'm not asking Andrew! I'm asking you, Drew Pollock!" Rei pressed.

"A-Ah dunno! Why are y'all makin' such a big deal 'bout it?!"

"I have to concur," said the prosecutor. "Just what are you getting at here, Kobayashi?"

"Recall Mortez Doez's testimony from the trial yesterday," she explained. "He said anything with a stronger signal could have overrode his remote. He also said, and I quote, 'Heck, even a police radio would've done the job!'"

"A police radio..." Realization suddenly dawned, causing Segata to 'block' an attack. "Wait, you aren't saying...!"

"I am!" Rei slammed her fists on the bench. "The reason the Pollock brothers were stationed by the Robotics garage... was to hijack Mortez's mech suit themselves!"

"Wh-whaaaaaat?!" the judge gasped. The gallery started buzzing.

"Mr. Sanshiro. You said yesterday that no human could have kept up with that mech suit at the speeds it was flying at, to keep it within remote-control range. However..." Rei pointed at Drew Pollock. "A police car would be more than capable of keeping pace with the suit!"

"NGAAHHH!" gasped the judo master as he 'blocked' another attack.

"Ah, come on! Y'all are crazy!" Drew protested, sweating. "You seriously think *we* hijacked that mecha suit?! You're off your rocker!"

"Am I, now?" smirked the lawyer, crossing her arms. "According to the NepCarFax report, the radio on this particular car is quite high-end, and in excellent condition! More than capable of overriding Mortez's remote! Also, while we couldn't search the car itself, we did glimpse what appeared to be a high-end laptop!" Nodding, she continued, "The defense proposes that Drew drove the car to keep pace with the mech suit, while Andrew sent commands to it via the laptop! And thanks to helmet's mouth guard, Nepgear was unable to scream for help, thus appearing as if she was attacking the expo willingly! When in fact, she was completely helpless!"

"No waaaaaaay!" Drew recoiled. The crowd chattered excitedly.

"Yes!" exclaimed Neptune. "Now that's some excellent deducing there, Yuu! Way to go!"

"OBJECTION!" Segata protested. "You're forgetting one crucial thing... namely, *why* would the Pollock brothers do something like this? What is their motive?!"

"Y...yeah!" Drew agreed, nodding vigorously. "Why would we go an' do somethin' like this?"

Rei just smirked. "For the same reason that Underling spiked Neptune's pudding and had her male friend call Abnes to catch the sleeping CPU on film! To discredit Nepgear in the eyes of Planeptune's citizens! In fact..." she pointed her finger at the guard. "I would go so far as to say that you two were in cahoots with Underling!"

"Whaaaaat?!" screamed Drew.

"OBJECTION!" declared the judo master. "You have no evidence proving this whatsoever!"

"Y-yeah!" the younger Pollock gasped. "I ain't never heard of this Underling character before!"

"Crud, we don't have any way of proving that..." Neptune groaned.

Rei thought for a moment. "Well, maybe Mr. Pollock is right..."

"Huh? He is?" the CPU asked in shock.

"Hmph. So you admit that theory holds no water whatsoever!" proclaimed Segata.

"OBJECTION!" the lawyer asserted. "Now just hold on a second, mag- Mister Sanshiro, and let me explain myself!" Taking a breath to calm herself, she proposed, "Perhaps Underling and the Pollock brothers aren't directly connected, but instead, they were coordinated by a fourth person!"

"A fourth person?" Judge Kintobor blinked. "But who?"

"The man who placed the call that summoned miss Abnes to the expo at the time of the attack," Rei explained. "In fact, I believe this mysterious man is the mastermind behind this plot!"

"OBJECTION!" Segata cut in, before faux-chopping the prosecutor's bench. "That is enough! I have let this farce go on for far too long!"

"Oh yeah?" Neptune challenged. "What makes you so confident it's a farce?"

"As I said before, you have not a shred of proof backing up your insane theory!" the prosecutor reiterated. "And there is a perfectly rational explanation for the Pollock brothers sitting by the garage!"

"There is?" said the judge.

Segata nodded. "I highly doubt that the fact that Mortez Doez's mech suit was outfitted with such dangerous weaponry was a secret to everybody. Surely, he would have at least asked for permission from the headmaster before beginning his work! And then, said headmaster likely informed the security staff about Mr. Doez's work, so they could keep an eye on him!" Shaking his head, he insisted, "Does it not follow that the guards simply followed Mr. Doez and Nepgear to make sure nothing went wrong?"

"That's a good point!" Neptune cried incredulously.

"And did it never occur to you that maybe the reason they bought their own car was because they simply thought the standard issue car was inadequate or uncomfortable?" Segata continued.

"That's... also a good point..." muttered Rei, starting to sweat.

"And also, because they were recently hired, perhaps any other seemingly suspicious behavior they performed was simply due to incompetence?"

"Stop bringing up good points, Segata..." the lawyer groaned.

Faux-chopping the bench, the prosecutor concluded, "This anti-goddess conspiracy of yours is nothing but a figment of your imagination!"

"Why did you have to point out every flaw?!" wailed Neptune in despair, causing the gallery to chatter.

Judge Kintobor gaveled them down. "Hmph. It would seem that Mr. Sanshiro's explanation of events is far more believable than the defense's theory..."

"Urrrrrgghhh..." Rei moaned. (I can't believe it... he shot down every argument I've made! Effortlessly!)

"Pheeeewwww..." Drew sighed in relief. "Thanks, Mr. Sanshiro! Ah thought Ah was done for there!"

Segata Sanshiro shook his head. "In the end, all you did was delay the inevitable. Your Honor, I believe it is time to do what you should have done a day ago and send this case to deliberations."

The judge nodded. "I see. Does the defense have any further arguments?"

"...no. Absolutely nothing."

"Then I hereby end the cross-examination of Drew Pollock!" declared the judge, banging his gavel.

But just when all seemed lost...

"HOLD IT!" A voice cried out as the courtroom doors were thrown open, revealing a familiar face. "Stop right there, Drew Bullock! You're not going anywhere!"

"I...IFFY!" gasped Neptune. "No way! You must have triggered a 'big damn heroes' event flag when you gave up, Yuu!"

"Miss Factory!" gasped the judge in surprise. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Simple, Your Honor," IF responded as she walked up to the witness stand. "I'm here to arrest this fraud of a security guard for grand larceny!"

"Wh-whaaaatt?! Larceny?!" cried Segata.

"Uhh... what's a larceny?" The CPU asked in confusion.

"She means robbery, Neptune," the lawyer explained.

"Robbery?!"

"Neptune. Yuu. Thanks for holding down the fort until I could get here," IF addressed her colleagues. "We finally got the fingerprint results back on Drew Bullock and his brother."

"Um, Iffy, you're getting the guy's name wrong..." Neptune pointed out.

"No, I'm not," IF shook her head. "'Pollock' was just an alias. His real name is Drew Bullock, one of two suspects wanted for robbing the local branch of the Planeptune National Bank a month ago!"

"WHAT?! A bank robber?!" cried the judge, sending the crowd into a tizzy.

"That's right," the intelligence agent nodded, holding up a newspaper. "This newspaper article has the details. Two brothers stole ten million credits from the bank and drove off before the police could get there. They eventually found the car, but it had been abandoned, and they couldn't find any trace of the brothers or the money... until now." She glared at Drew as she finished, the man sweating profusely now.

*Bullock Bros. Robbery Article added to the Court Record.*

"Ah, c-come on!" Drew feebly protested. "D-do Ah look like Ah've got t-ten million smackers layin' around! If Ah had th-that kind of money, Ah wouldn't b-be workin' as a security g-guard! Y'all could search every nook an' cranny of our home and jobs and ya wouldn't find nothin'!"

(He sounds unusually confident with that last statement... Ah!) An idea suddenly came to the disguised lawyer. "Actually, I concur with Mr. Pollock, er, Bullock."

"You do?" IF gasped in shock.

"You do?" echoed Neptune, her eyes shrunk to white circles.

"Oh, shore. *Now* ya start talkin' sense," the guard muttered.

Rei just smirked as she crossed her arms. "Unfortunately, that doesn't bode well for you, Drew. The reason you don't have the money... is because you already spent it!"

"Spent it? On what?" Judge Kintobor asked incredulously.

"I direct your attention once again to the NepCarFax report... specifically, the price tag," the former goddess explained.

"Yes, we know. That car cost 9,500,000 credits... Ah!" gasped the judge as comprehension dawned. "Ms. Kobayashi, are you saying...?"

"Exactly, Your Honor!" Rei exclaimed, slamming her fists on the bench. "The two brothers used their ill-gotten gains to purchase the police car, to further their nefarious scheme against Nepgear!"

"Nooooooooo!" Drew recoiled again.

"Unbelievable!" growled Segata. "To think I was defending you as an upstanding member of law enforcement! When in fact, you were a common criminal the entire time!" Chopping the bench, he ranted on, "Deceiving me is a very foolish mistake, Drew Bullock! You will confess your crimes to this court, right here, right now... Or I will show you my earth-shattering judo throw!"

"Nepu! Not the judo throw that makes you explode twice on impact!" Neptune gasped, her hands over her mouth.

"*Twice?!*" cried Rei in shock. (Wouldn't *one* explosion be enough to reduce you to giblets? Talk about overkill!)

"NnnnnnngggggrrrRRRRAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Drew wailed, before slamming his head on the witness stand. "B...broootherrrrr!" He slammed his head again. "Ah'm sorry! Ah done goofed up!" Slam. "Ah testified just like ya told me to, but Ah still got busted!" Slam. "Ah'm sorry Ah'm such a dunce head!" Slam. "An idiot!" Slam. "Ah'm an idiot!" Slam. "AH'M AN IDIOT!" Slam.

"IDIOT! IDIOT! IDIOT! IDIOT! IDIOT! IDIOT! IDIOT! IDIOT! IDIOT! IDIOT! IDIOT! IDIOT! IDIOT! IIIIIDIIIIOOOOTTTTT!" He slammed his head with each repetition of the word 'idiot', until finally, his head covered with bumps, he slid bonelessly to the floor, completely unconscious.

"Order! ORDER!" yelled Judge Kintobor, banging his gavel as the crowd chattered. Order in the coooourrrrrt!"

It took a few minutes, but the gallery finally calmed down.

"Well," sighed Kintobor, "I must admit, this was an unexpected turn of events. Prosecutor Sanshiro, how is Drew Pollock, er, Bullock?"

"Still unconscious in the medical ward, Your Honor," muttered Segata. "An arrest warrant has already been issued for his arrest, and his brother as well. The bailiffs should be reading Andrew Bullock his rights as we speak."

"Hey, wait a nep!" Neptune cut in. "Now that it's proven the Bullock Bros are bad guys, that means we can finally search their car, right?"

"Two steps ahead of you, Neptune," said IF. "I've already sent a team of agents to impound that car and search it inside and out."

"Sweet! Once we get that laptop and have it analyzed, Nep Jr's in the clear!" The goddess exclaimed happily.

"Thank goodness..." Nepgear sighed in relief from the defendant's chair.

Suddenly, a black-shadowed NPC came running in. "Agent IF!" he exclaimed. "We found the car, but the laptop you said was there... is gone!"

"Gone?!" cried IF in shock.

Another NPC ran in- a bailiff, this time. "Segata Sanshiro! We've searched the courthouse, and we can't find Andrew Bullock anywhere!"

"What did you say?!" cried the judo master.

"Oh, crud!" Neptune said as realization hit. "Andy must've realized the jig was up, so he took the laptop and ran!"

"What are you standing here for?!" Segata yelled at the bailiff. "Contact the local police and commence a manhunt for that robber, at once!"

"Yes sir!" said the bailiff, turning and running out.

"Should we assist them, IF?" The other NPC suggested.

"No," Iffy shook her head, "I want you to find some divers and start dredging the nearby river. Andrew Bullock likely took the laptop to dispose of it as evidence!"

"We're on it, ma'am!" the NPC saluted, before jogging out of the courtroom himself.

Judge Kintobor banged his gavel to silence the once-again restless crowd. "All right, settle down, everyone. It appears we're at a bit of an impasse. I'm going to extend the trial to tomorrow to give the police sometime to find the elder Mr. Bullock. In the meantime... Yuu Kobayashi."

"Yes, Your Honor?" Rei stood at attention.

"I'm giving you a homework assignment of sorts," the judge instructed. "Your homework is to find evidence supporting your theory about Nepgear being hijacked by sinister forces. Also, who is the mastermind, and why did they do this?"

"Just great. I hate homework," The CPU groaned.

(But you don't even go to school!) Rei sighed inwardly.

"As for you, Mr. Sanshiro..." the judge continued. "You may need to reconsider your stance in this case. Above all, you should reconsider your assumption of guilt for the defendant, miss Nepgear."

"...as you say, Your Honor."

"Very well. We will reconvene tomorrow at 10 AM. This is the last extension! Court is adjourned."

 _July 9, 12:07 PM_

 _District Court_

 _Defendant Lobby No. 3_

Rei collapsed onto a bench as she let out a huge sigh of relief. "Th-that was a c-close one... t-thank goodness IF c-came in w-when she d-did."

"It's no problem," said the Guild agent. "Honestly, I should be apologizing for taking so long..."

"Hey, as long as you made it, that's all that matters!" Neptune said. "So, were those two robbers the focus of your secret mission, Iffy?"

"Hssssst!" IF grunted as she clapped a hand over the CPU's mouth. "Not here, Neptune! *sigh* Look, I'll tell you about that later, but not where someone can overhear, okay?"

"Mmm-Hmm!" Neptune nodded.

"But, do you really think you can find the mastermind behind this scheme?" Nepgear inquired. "There doesn't seem to be any clues about him or her whatsoever..."

"What about the mysterious guy who called Abnes?" suggested Neptune, after IF removed her hand from her mouth. "Maybe we should see if we can catch up with that reporter and see what else she knows!"

"B-but she said i-in court t-that she d-didn't know a-anything else..." Rei pointed out.

"Snap, you're right..." the goddess sighed. "Guess we'll just have to hope we get lucky then..."

"Listen," IF began, "I'm going to run back to Forensics real quick and see if they finished their analysis of the drugged pudding. Maybe that will give us a lead..."

"O-okay. G-good luck," the lawyer nodded.

"Thanks, Rei. Later." IF turned and jogged out of the lobby.

"Miss Nepgear," stated the bailiff. "I'm sorry, but it's time to return to your cell."

The CPU Candidate nodded. "Right, OK. Good luck, Neptune, Rei." With that, she was escorted out.

"Right then," muttered Neptune. "Well, let's head back to the Basilicom and plan our next move. And eat lunch, while we're at it."

Rei stood up. "Okay... Maybe some food will get my tired brain back in gear..." With that, they left...

To be continued...

You know the drill by now. Read & Review! Thanks to all who have favorited this story!


	7. Investigation, Day 3

Sorry about the schedule slip, but the next chapter is FINALLY HERE! Hopefully it was worth the wait...

GXLatias- Segata doesn't actually chop the bench in half, he's well-trained enough to restrain himself...

Drean- Thanks, but I'm not sure what you mean by a Yellow story... also, if you want to send me your OC idea via PM, go right ahead. No guarantee I'll use it, but maybe it'll inspire me...

T00N- Not sorry? I'll make you sorry, by shoving a few eggplants (or whatever your most hated food is) down your throat! :P

Rei Ryghts: Ace Attorney

The Mech-Suit's Turnabout

by Derald Snyder

Investigation- Day 3

Court Record:

-Drugged Pudding

-Mech Remote

-Crime Scene Diagram

-Mech Suit Helmet

-Security Staff Roster

-NepCarFax Report

-Abnes Testimony

-Bullock Bros. Robbery Article

 _July 9, 12:51 PM_

 _Planeptune Basilicom_

 _Neptune's Room_

"So, it seems the tide has shifted in your favor," Histoire noted after listening to Neptune and Rei's account of the trial.

Rei nodded as she took a bite of her sandwich. "S-so it seems, b-but there's s-still far t-too many l-loose th-threads hanging..."

"So, we just gotta find the guy who's pulling those threads," added Neptune, as she munched on some celery. "I still can't believe you hid all the sweets on me, Histy..."

"You need to eat healthier," the all-seeing tome admonished. "It's better for your brain. After all, if you want to help Rei deduce who framed your sister..."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it..." Neptune sighed as she chewed on a carrot.

*Ga-thunk!* went the door as a certain reporter made her entrance.

"Oh, hello Abnes," Rei acknowledged. "What are you doing here?"

Abnes bit her lip before bowing to the CPU. "I owe you an apology, Neptune. If I'd known I was being set-up, I never would have gone out to that expo in the first place..."

"We cool, man," Neptune smiled. "At least we got the record set straight..."

"Ah, so that explains why the drop in shares has stopped," Histoire nodded, smiling slightly. "News must have spread quickly after the trial today..."

"Anyway, while you're here, you remember anything else about your mystery contact?" Neptune asked.

Abnes just sighed. "Not really... I had my call logs dumped, and turns out the call was placed from a pay phone at the Institute."

The CPU groaned. "Aw, crappers... figures it wouldn't be that easy."

"But I can say for almost certain that it wasn't that security guard, or his brother," Abnes supplemented. "He had no accent, and I don't think he was disguising his voice... well, too much, anyway..."

"A man with no accent..." Histoire pondered. "That still doesn't narrow it down very much, I'm afraid..."

"Guess we'll have to do some old-fashioned legwork, then. Thanks for your help, Abnes," said Neptune.

"Good luck," Abnes nodded, before exiting.

Rei washed down her sandwich with a few swallows of milk, before wiping her chin and standing up. "We'd better get going back to the school. There's only so much time in the day, and tomorrow is the last day of trial..."

"So, let's go then!" exclaimed Neptune.

 _July 9_

 _Planeptune Higher Learning Institute_

 _Main Hallway, First Floor_

"Well, no obvious clues around the pay phones," Neptune sighed as she finished her search. "I guess it was a long shot, anyway..." Suddenly Rei grabbed her by the hand, pulling her along. "Hey! Wha- Mmmph!" The lawyer clapped a hand over the goddess' mouth as she dragged her around the corner.

Once they were out of the line of sight of the phones, Rei removed her hand and put a finger to her lips, before silently pointing around the corner. Confused, Neptune slowly tilted her head to get a look...

And immediately pulled back. "Is that who I think it is?" she whispered. Rei just nodded.

Indeed, it was the green-haired Underling, making her way to the phones, dropping in the necessary change as she picked one up and dialed.

"What do we do?" the CPU whispered. "The moment she sees us, she'll take off like a rocket..."

"If s-she s-sees you, maybe," the disguised lawyer responded. "B-but she d-doesn't know w-who I am. Maybe I c-can distract her, and th-then you c-can sneak up o-on her f-from behind..."

"C'mon, pick up..." Underling muttered. "Am I really that expendable to you, old man?"

"U-um, hello!" Rei spoke up as she walked out from around the corner, Neptune still hidden from sight.

"Huh?" Underling looked up. Recognition kicked in, and she immediately closed her eyes and smiled as she hung up. "Oh hey! If it isn't Ms. Thirsty Girl from the other day! Whatcha doing here?"

"W-well..." Rei began as she tried to casually walk around the other woman, in an attempt to divert her gaze from the corner. "I-I was j-just curious a-about if th-they were g-going to continue the e-expo or not..."

"Eehh, I don't think so," the pale-skinned girl replied. "Most of the robots were blown to pieces, so..."

"Oh, th-that's t-too bad..." Rei sighed, though she smirked inwardly as Underling turned to face her, allowing Neptune to sneak out from behind the corner. "Um, I hate t-to say th-this, but thanks t-to th-that attack, I l-lost my p-pudding..."

"Dang," Underling muttered. "I lost all my pudding too, so I can't give you anymore..."

"How convenient," the former goddess' tone suddenly changed. "You got rid of all the evidence, did you?"

"Huh?" the other woman's expression turned confused. "Whadaya mean, 'evidence'?"

"The evidence that you drugged my favorite food!" Another voice spoke up, a hand coming down on Underling's shoulder, causing her to turn...

"WAAAHH! You!" the former ASIC member yelled at seeing Neptune's face.

"Long time no see, Underling," Neptune greeted with a sinister smirk.

"Oh, did I forget to mention that I'm Nepgear's lawyer?" Rei said smugly.

"We got her pudding tested, ya know," the CPU added. "We've got you dead to rights, Underling!"

"Like *hell* you do!" Underling threw something to the ground which promptly exploded into a cloud of smoke, blinding the two girls. The punk girl then elbowed Neptune in the solar plexus, before kicking Rei between the legs and running off.

"Ack-! *cough cough* No fair...!" yelled Neptune.

"Someone... stop her...!" Rei gasped out, even as she keeled over.

"Ha ha! Sayonara, suckers!" Underling laughed as she ran off...

...only to smack into a man's pectorals, falling to the ground as a result. Looking up, she saw a terrifying sight... "Waahh! S-Segata Sanshiro?!"

Indeed it was the feared judo master, who spread his arms before moving in for the attack. Underling found herself judo-flipped over the man's shoulder, before being put in a tight chokehold. In an instant, Segata stood over his defeated opponent, who could only lift her head up slightly.

"Segata... Sanshiro..." was all she could get out.

"Sega Saturn, SHIRO!" declared Segata as he held out a Sega Saturn, before something occurred to him. "Oh, wait. I mean... Underling of ASIC, you are under arrest!" He pulled out the controller cord from the console, before kicking the woman over and tying her arms behind her back with said cord.

Neptune ran up, Rei stumbling behind. "Wow, nice save, Segata! Good thing you were in the area!"

The prosecutor just nodded. "Call Agent IF, so she can take this evildoer into custody. I shall ensure she goes nowhere!" This the CPU did, and a few minutes later, IF arrived with a few burly NPC agents.

"Good job, you three," IF nodded before turning to her fellow agents. "Make sure she gets put in a maximum security cell. I don't want to take any chances of her escaping again."

"Yes ma'am!" the NPCs concurred as they picked Underling up to her feet, before dragging her off.

Neptune nodded in satisfaction. "Well, that's one loose burrito wrapped up."

"Maybe, but... that burrito...hit hard..." Rei groaned as she sat on a bench, still favoring her groin.

"Indeed, hitting someone in that spot during a judo match is an automatic disqualification," Segata stated. "I always fight fair and square!"

"Except that one time you lifted the entire goal to prevent a score in a soccer match," the CPU pointed out. "You got red-carded for that, if I remember..."

The judo master recoiled. "I-I panicked! A-and that was years ago, anyway!"

"Getting back on topic..." IF spoke up. "Now that we've got Underling in custody, hopefully we'll be able to get more information out of her than we did Drew Bullock... It seems he wasn't really much more than hired muscle, at least compared to his brother..."

"You still believe they were 'in cahoots', as Kobayashi said?" Segata inquired.

"Probably because she's got top-secret info from her secret mission," said Neptune, causing Iffy to face-palm.

The prosecutor's eyes went wide. "'Secret mission'? This is the first I've heard of this!"

"Well, duh, if you knew, it wouldn't be secret anymore, would it?" the goddess pointed out.

IF sighed as she ran a hand through her hair. "Well, I guess it'd be pointless to keep you in the dark any longer... but let's go to the west gate and talk there. That way I know we won't be overheard."

The others nodded in agreement...

 _July 9_

 _Planeptune Higher Learning Institute_

 _Western Gate_

IF and Segata were the first to arrive, Neptune lagging behind, supporting the still-sore 'Yuu Kobayashi'.

"Now then," the judo master spoke, "Would you care to tell us all exactly what is going on here?"

The agent looked down, lightly biting her lip as she considered where to begin. "Well, have you ever heard of the 'Citizen's Group'?

Neptune and Rei both jerked their heads up at this. "Wait, Iffy, you don't mean..."

"Right," she nodded, "the anti-goddess organization headed by Rei Ryghts herself, before she became a goddess herself and went berserk."

"Th-that's s-something I'd rather f-forget..." the lawyer groaned.

"Because you used to be a member yourself, right?" IF stated.

"You were?!" Segata turned to 'Yuu' in shock.

"I... *really*... d-don't w-want t-to t-talk about it..." she squeaked.

Neptune cut in, "Then don't talk about it. Let Iffy do the talking."

Segata nodded, turning back to the Guild agent. "Very well, we're listening."

"Well, as you know," IF began, "the original Citizen's Group was rendered defunct when Rei Ryghts went berserk and attempted to destroy Gamindustri itself. However, there's been rumors going around recently that a new Citizen's Group has arisen from the ashes of the old one, led by one of the members of the original. We looked into it and realized that the rumors might have some credibility to them. The fact that Underling had resurfaced after being in hiding for so long only strengthened our hunch. So, we put a tail on her, hoping she'd lead us to the rest of the group."

"I'm guessing no dice until this point, huh?" Neptune muttered.

The agent nodded grimly. "It seemed the members of the group kept in contact only through pay phones or disposable cell phones that couldn't be traced. However, we did observe that Underling seemed to be hanging around the Institute a lot. When we found out that the annual Robotics Expo was going to held soon, it didn't take a genius to put two and two together and realize that since Nepgear would likely attend the event, that the Citizen's Group would make a move on her there."

"Wait, so you *knew* this would happen?" Segata asked incredulously.

"We didn't expect what actually occurred," IF sighed. "We were expecting something more along the lines of an attack against Nepgear herself, instead of manipulating her into circumstances that made it look like she had attacked innocent civilians... A serious mistake on our part." She then glanced over at the disguised Rei. "Honestly speaking, I'm glad Rei Ryghts herself did what she did... Her attacking the mech suit to stop it before people got killed... well, the consensus among me and my fellow agents is pretty much, 'not exactly what we had in mind, but we'll take it.'"

"Which is why you're not putting much effort into finding her, I take it?" the prosecutor inquired.

IF ran a hand through her hair nervously. "Well, Mr. Sanshiro, the truth is... we actually *do* know where she is, but seeing as she hasn't made any other aggressive moves at the moment, we've been inclined to let sleeping dogs lie, and focus on the investigation into the attack on the expo instead." She then turned to the purple-haired goddess. "Also, I owe you an apology, Neptune. I know you thought I was blowing you off a few days back, but the truth is, if the Citizen's Group had seen me at the expo, they might have realized we were onto them and scuttled their plans, which would have put us back at square one."

"Yeah, I was kinda bummed," Neptune muttered, "but now that I know what's been going on behind the curtain, so to speak, how could I not forgive you, Iffy?" She smiled at her friend, causing IF to smile back, in spite of herself...

Suddenly, the side of the black van opened, an NPC climbing out. "IF!" he called. "We just got a fax from Forensics! Looks like they've finally finished their analysis of the drugged pudding."

That got everyone's attention. "Wow, they sure took their sweet time, huh?" Neptune sighed as the NPC handed some papers to his colleague. IF started reading through them, the other gathering around to see for themselves... "Sheesh, I can't make heads or tails of this," the CPU groaned.

"I think I understand about half of it, myself," Rei chimed in.

"So what does it say?" inquired Segata.

"Well, the gist of it is that the sleeping drug added to the pudding is a chemical called 'Senyak-13'." Taking out her mobile device, IF entered the name, bringing up more information. "What the-?! This is a highly experimental compound that hasn't been approved for general use yet!"

"Um, w-why n-not?" Rei asked.

"Well, according to some tests, some of the rats that were subjected to this drug went to sleep... and never woke up again."

"NEPU?!" Neptune gasped in shock, her eyes shrunk to white circles. "B-but what if that had been me?!"

"Underling likely did not care," Segata suggested. "However, how did she get her hands on this drug, if it is not available for the public?"

"Good question," muttered the agent as she tapped on the screen. "According to this, only a select few laboratories are experimenting with the drug..." Her eyes suddenly went wide. "And one of them is right here, at the Institute itself!"

"What?!" everyone else gasped.

*Drugged Pudding updated in Court Record.*

"Well, guess it's obvious where we gotta go now," said the CPU. "To the labs, everyone!"

"You guys go on ahead," said IF. "I gotta go back and check on the divers dredging the river, and see if they've come up with anything yet."

"OK, you do that, Iffy!" Neptune nodded. "C'mon, Yuu, Segata, let's go!" She ran off, Rei and Segata jogging behind...

 _July 9_

 _Planeptune Higher Learning Institute_

 _Chemistry Labs, First Floor_

"Well, here we are," muttered Neptune as the trio stopped in front of a door, which read 'UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.' "So, how do we get in?"

"You don't," a gruff, unaccented elderly male voice spoke up. "Surely you know how to read, CPU Neptune." The trio turned to the source of the voice- a tall man wearing a long white coat, with blond-grey hair and a significant bald spot on the top. He wore an old-fashioned pair of spectacles, which had piercing gray eyes behind them. Underneath the coat, he wore a simple button-up shirt and dark slacks.

"Ah, Headmaster," Segata nodded in recognition. "Ruling your school with iron discipline, as always..."

"Wha-? This guy's the headmaster?!" Neptune gasped in shock.

"Correct," the man affirmed as he pushed his glasses up his sharp nose. "My name is Professor Austin Paragan, the head of this prestigious school. And though you may be the CPU, miss Neptune, my word is law here, and I would request that you respect that. Unlike your sister..."

Neptune opened her mouth to protest, only to have it covered by Rei. "With all due respect, sir, we're here as part of our investigation into what happened with Nepgear. I'm her lawyer, Yuu Kobayashi."

"Mmm mmmph!" The CPU mumbled in protest.

"I see," the professor nodded. "But what does chemistry have to do with Nepgear's attack on the Robotics Expo?"

Segata handed the pudding analysis to the professor. "Well, you see, professor, miss Neptune here was drugged asleep by a fugitive that had infiltrated the expo. Ms. Kobayashi's argument is that said felon did so in order to prevent miss Neptune from intervening in the attack on the expo."

"Hmmm..." Professor Paragan looked over the analysis. "Wait, Senyak-13?"

"Exactly!" said Neptune, having gotten free of Rei. "Which is only being tested on a few labs across Gamindustri... including this one! Doesn't take a genius like you to put two and two together here..."

"So you believe that this felon robbed my laboratory in order to drug the CPU?" Paragan pondered. "Personally, I don't see how that's possible..."

"Why not?!" Neptune challenged.

"Neptune, please," Rei admonished. "I apologize for her, Headmaster..."

"Well, if you would all quiet down for a second, I would explain why I don't believe it possible that this felon robbed us," stated the professor, with the air of a parent admonishing a child. "Simply put, no common criminal would be capable of penetrating our tight security."

"She's not exactly common, Professor," the CPU argued. "She's a former member of the Arfoire Syndicate of International Crime, and pretty darn resourceful, at least from my memory..."

"Even if what you say is true," Paragan countered, "I highly doubt she would make it past the door to the lab containing the drug itself. Perhaps I should show you what I mean..." Moving over to the door, he gestured to a device set just above the doorknob. "In order to open this door, you must place your thumbprint on this scanner while entering your access code. If either of these are not listed in the security database, or the access code does not match with the thumbprint of the individual assigned that access code, an alarm is sounded."

Neptune just shook her head. "I've seen a keypad/fingerprint scanner a lot like this one get foiled on Myth-bonkers, with nothing but a licked piece of paper with a thumbprint on it."

The headmaster just smirked. "You're not the only one who watches that show, miss Neptune... which is why I'll let you in on a secret security feature for this door. There is, in fact, a hidden camera on this device, linked to a computer with facial-recognition software. Even if someone attempted to foil this scanner in the manner you describe, if their face does not match with the profile picture linked to the thumbprint and access number, the door will not open."

*Notes on Lab Security Door added to the Court Record.*

"Hmph. If I needed to get through that door, I would simply kick it down," stated Segata.

"And set off every alarm in the building," Rei deadpanned.

"Exactly," Professor Paragan assented. "I can assure you, there have been no unauthorized attempts at access in the last month. You can check the log at the security office if you don't believe me."

"OBJECTION!" declared Neptune. "Unfortunately, Professor, your security has already been compromised!"

"And just what is *that* supposed to mean?" said Paragan, narrowing his eyes at the CPU.

"I think she means this," said Rei, pulling out the article on the Bullock Bros. robbery and handing it to him. "Your two recent hires for security turned out to be felons at large. I think you'll see what I mean if you look at the profile pictures of the robbers..."

The headmaster adjusted his glasses as he skimmed over the article. "My word," he muttered, "It is them. This is quite disturbing... it seems we will have to review our hiring practices."

"So how do you know those two just didn't make it so that Underling wouldn't trip the alarm when she snuck in?" challenged Neptune.

"The fact that they were only recent hires," Paragan retorted. "They were not cleared to have access to this laboratory. Only the scientists themselves and higher-up security personnel are authorized to access this lab. And, of course, being the headmaster, I have access as well..."

"Then only one possibility remains," said the judo master. "Either one of your scientists or these higher-ups gave the sleeping drug over to Underling willingly!"

Paragan jerked his head up at this. "Do you have any idea what you are insinuating, Prosecutor Sanshiro?"

"Once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth," Segata stated, unflinching.

"I see. Very well then," the headmaster conceded, "I shall give you a list of personnel that has access to the lab containing Senyak-13. Though I still don't see how any of them could violate their ethics in such a manner..."

'Yuu Kobayashi' nodded. "OK. In the meantime, we'll head to the security office and check the log and security cameras, just to make sure all our bases are covered. Also, I want a word with my client in private."

"Then I shall go with the headmaster for now, to obtain the roster," Segata assented.

"Fair enough. Come on, Neptune." With that, Rei walked off briskly, the CPU following behind, slightly confused...

 _July 9_

 _Planeptune Higher Learning Institute_

 _Main Hallway, First Floor_

Rei sat down in one of the seats, letting her breath out in a rush. Neptune took the chair to her left, before speaking, "Alright, Rei, you mind letting me in on what's going on? You seemed kinda stiff back there..."

The disguised lawyer looked over at Neptune, removing her sunglasses so she could look her straight in the eye. "That professor, Austin Paragan... I know him."

"You do?!" Neptune's eyes went wide. "What, you afraid he made you or something?"

"N-no, I d-don't th-think he recognized m-me... thank goodness," Rei sighed. "B-but that's n-not t-the major th-thing..." She took a deep breath. "You s-see, he was m-my professor a w-while b-back... and h-he was a-also the one w-who i-instilled m-my a-anti-goddess views t-to b-begin with..."

"W-w-whaaaaaatt?!" the CPU gasped in surprise. Lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, she inquired, "So, do ya think *he's* the mastermind behind this whole scheme?"

Rei shook her head. "I don't think... I *know*. If a-anybody c-could reconstitute th-the Citizen's Group a-after my... b-berserk episode, it would b-be h-him..."

Neptune bit her lip. "Any way you can prove that?"

"I'm not sure..." Rei rubbed the bridge of her nose. "B-being a p-professor and h-headmaster, he's obviously v-very intelligent... he l-likely h-has all his b-bases c-covered... i-it's n-not g-going t-to be easy..." Something then occurred to her. "Th-that being said, I wonder if he m-might be th-the one who g-gave Underling that drug..."

"Heeey, that's right!" Neptune gasped, hitting her palm with her fist. "He said as headmaster he has access to that lab! It'd be like taking candy from a baby for him!" Standing up, she turned to face Rei. "C'mon, let's get moving to the security office, so we can see if he went in there recently!"

The lawyer nodded as she slipped her sunglasses back on, before standing herself. "OK, let's go... but please don't run... I have trouble keeping up with you as it is..."

 _July 9_

 _Planeptune Higher Learning Institute_

 _Security Office_

Segata Sanshiro was already there by the time the two women arrived, typing away at a computer in the back, and apparently not having much luck...

"Hey, Segata!" Neptune greeted. "Find the access logs yet?"

"No, I haven't," the judo master groaned in frustration. "Though, I think I found the footage from the security cameras for that lab, but I'm having trouble accessing anything from the past few days..."

"H-here, let m-me do it, b-before you k-karate chop the c-computer or something..." Rei offered. Segata promptly gave up the seat for Rei, who immediately started typing away. "I hate t-to say th-this, b-but the reason y-you c-can't find anything f-from the p-past few d-days is because i-it's n-not there... p-probably deleted."

"Deleted?!" Segata cried in shock.

"Aw, crappers!" Neptune groaned. "Andrew Bullock strikes again! Probably trying to cover for the guy who gave Underling the drug..."

"Does that mean the access logs were deleted as well?" the prosecutor inquired.

"W-well, let's not j-jump to conclusions h-here..." Rei stated as she continued to type away at the computer. "Let's see... maybe... Ah-ha, here they are! You were just looking in the wrong directory, Mr. Sanshiro... And it looks like these logs are intact. I'm guessing Andrew either didn't know where these logs were, or he thought that deleting them as well would look too suspicious..."

"Right..." Neptune nodded grimly. "If he only deleted the camera footage, he could argue that it was just a glitch in the system or something..."

"And the police still have not found him. I checked with them while I waited for you," Segata explained. "Either he has already fled the city, or he is very well hidden..."

"Well, putting that aside..." Rei cut in. "It seems these access logs only have the numbers, not the names associated with them. And there haven't been any attempts at unauthorized entry, either..."

"Do not worry," said Segata, "for I have the list of personnel right here. All we have to do is match the names to the access numbers."

"Good," the defense attorney nodded. "But it looks like I can't print these off, so we'll have to copy them manually..."

"I can do that!" Neptune volunteered, grabbing a pen and a sheet of paper. "I'm pretty good with numbers, so this should be a snap!"

"Very well then," Segata assented, "let us proceed..."

About 10-15 minutes later, they had successfully matched most of the names to the access numbers, save one...

"Strange," muttered the judo master, "why is there one number that does not match the list? I thought the headmaster had given me a complete list..."

"12119-20914," the CPU read the number off. "And look when they accessed it... July 6 at 11:05 PM! You'd think everyone'd left and gone to dreamland by then... suspicious much?"

"Indeed," the prosecutor nodded, "This mystery person may well be our culprit. But who could it be...?"

(I think I know...) Rei thought to herself, before saying aloud, "Well, Mr. Sanshiro, perhaps you could have the good professor come in to court tomorrow to testify on this matter..."

"Agreed," said Segata. "I was planning on calling him as a witness anyway, to explain the security for the lab where the drug for miss Neptune's pudding was likely obtained..."

"Fair enough," Rei nodded, before shutting the computer down. Standing up, she stated, "Well, I think this is all we're going to find for today. Neptune and I should get going, I want to touch base with IF, before we get ready for court tomorrow..."

"Good idea, Yuu!" Neptune exclaimed as she stood up as well. "I'll keep these access numbers on hand, just in case... I've already made a note about the unmatched number and time."

*Security Access Log added to the Court Record.*

"Then I suppose this is where we part ways, for now," Segata said. "I look forward to seeing you in court tomorrow, Ms. Kobayashi." As he said this, he held out his hand, which Rei grasped in a firm handshake.

"Likewise, Mr. Sanshiro," said Rei with a smile, trying not to grimace from the man's tight grip. "And may the truth win."

To be continued...


	8. Trial, Final Day (Part 1)

So, the final day of trial begins... As I stated in my profile, I'm splitting this chapter in two in order to get it out a little faster. I'll start working on the next part as soon as I can...

mr I hate znt nobles kill em- Thanks for your suggestion, but I'm going to have to turn it down... And perhaps I'll try using stealth if I ever write another story like this...

France Shellby- Your deductions are pretty much spot on. The problem is nailing the guy in court...

Drean- I thought I made the culprit clear in the last chapter...

Rei Ryghts: Ace Attorney

The Mech-Suit's Turnabout

by Derald Snyder

Trial- Final Day (Part 1)

Court Record:

-Drugged Pudding

-Mech Remote

-Crime Scene Diagram

-Mech Suit Helmet

-Security Staff Roster

-NepCarFax Report

-Abnes Testimony

-Bullock Bros. Robbery Article

-Lab Security Door

-Security Access Log

 _July 10, 9:37 AM_

 _District Court_

 _Defendant Lobby No. 3_

(This is it...) Rei thought to herself. (One way or another, everything comes to an end today...)

"So, did you find the mastermind who set me up?" Nepgear inquired.

"I think we know who did it..." muttered Neptune. "The problem is proving it. After all, who's gonna believe that the headmaster himself did it?"

"Th-the headmaster?!" the CPU Candidate gasped in shock. "I met him once... he seemed a bit gruff, but not *that* bad..."

"It's him," Rei stated firmly. "I'm almost certain of it."

"I wish I had more stuff for you guys..." IF sighed. "But we still haven't found the laptop or Andrew Bullock... On top of that, our grilling of Underling's gone nowhere. She just keeps saying, 'jailbirds don't squawk'..."

"Figures she wouldn't crack easy..." Neptune sighed.

"Actually, I think Segata's going to be putting her on the witness stand today," Iffy supplemented. "After all, he's the one who took her down in the first place, so maybe his presence will intimidate her into revealing something..."

"Let's just hope she doesn't try to escape again..." sighed Nepgear.

"Surely Mr. Sanshiro will pre-empt any attempt at that," Rei muttered. "I'm actually looking forward to cross-examining her. It'll be a good way to get some payback for that groin attack yesterday..."

"Anyway, I'll be cheering you guys on from the gallery," IF stated. "Good luck!"

"Thanks, Iffy!" Neptune smiled. "All righty then, let's put an end to this farce once and for all!"

 _July 10, 10:00 AM_

 _District Court_

 _Courtroom No. 3_

"All Rise!" declared the bailiff. "Court is now in session for the trial of the State v. Nepgear, the honorable Judge Theodore Kintobor presiding."

"The defense is ready, Your Honor," Rei stated solemnly.

"The prosecution is also ready," Segata added.

Judge Kintobor took his seat. "I feel the need to remind both parties that this is the last day of trial allowed before the case is sent to deliberations. Both sides will need to present solid proof with their arguments."

"Yes, Your Honor."

"Understood."

"Very good," the judge nodded. "Prosecutor Sanshiro, your opening statement, if you please."

Segata nodded, before beginning, "As was proven yesterday, the security guards at the scene on the day of the expo were in fact bank robbers incognito. Unfortunately, we have been thus far unable to locate the point man of the group, Mr. Andrew Bullock. However, those two were not the only outstanding felons at the expo that day, if you recall. There was also the former ASIC associate who served drugged pudding to CPU Neptune in order to exact revenge for an earlier defeat. But thank to the efforts of miss Neptune and Ms. Kobayashi, that Underling has been arrested. However, we have failed to gather any pertinent information from her via normal interrogation methods. Thus, I have decided to summon her as a witness today, to explain her actions to the court." As he said this, the courtroom doors opened, two burly NPC bailiffs escorting the woman in question, holding her firmly by the forearms, though her wrists were handcuffed.

"Loosen up, willya?!" she protested.

"I don't think so," one of the bailiffs answered.

"You're hurting me, dammit!"

"Surely you've endured worse pain from the goddesses," answered the other bailiff.

"Good work, bailiffs," said Segata. "I will handle things from here." The two burly men promptly released their charge, who jerked away as soon as their grip loosened up.

"About damn time!" she growled, before looking over at the prosecutor's bench. Immediately her pale skin turned even paler as her eyes shrunk to white ovals. "Waaahh! S-Segata Sanshiro? What are you doing here?!"

"He's the prosecutor for this trial, don'tcha know," Neptune spoke up.

"Th-the prosecutor?!"

Segata ordered the woman, "On the witness stand. Now." She promptly complied, shaking slightly with fear. "Name and occupation."

She swallowed hard before stating, "My name is Linda, as if any of you care. As for my occupation... part-time pudding saleswoman, full-time career criminal." The crowd started muttering at this, only being silenced by the judge's gavel.

"Miss Linda," began Kintobor, "do you understand why you have been summoned here?"

"Duh," the former ASIC Underling rolled her eyes, "You morons couldn't crack me in interrogation, so you dragged me here to explain myself. That about right?"

"Guess it'd be redundant to request permission to treat as hostile, huh?" Neptune muttered.

"Indeed," the judge assented. "You will testify truthfully about your actions on the day of the attack on the Robotics Expo."

"Why should I?" Linda grumbled, crossing her arms. "You probably got the whole story figured out anyway..."

Segata said nothing, but faux-chopped his bench loudly.

"Meep!" the felon squeaked. "I-I mean, one testimony, comin' right up!"

(Guess she still remembers what Segata did to her yesterday...) Rei thought to herself.

"Right, so... yeah, I knew that meddling CPU Candidate Nepgear was likely gonna be at the Robotics Expo, so I figured it was the perfect chance to get a little revenge. I got bunch of pudding and mixed in some sleeping drugs, so I could serve one or more of 'em to her, so she'd fall asleep and miss the whole expo! Too bad I couldn't find her there... but I did find the CPU herself! You probably know the rest, Miss Lawyer, seeing as you were there..."

"OBJECTION!" cried Neptune. "Pudding is *my* favorite food, not Nep Jr.'s! Doesn't it make more sense that you were going after *me* specifically?"

"Oh, come on!" muttered Underling. "You two are sisters, so I figured you liked the same kind of foods! And if I could drug you both, so much the better!"

"I suppose that is not entirely out of the realm of possibility..." Segata stated.

"...Ms. Kobayashi, your cross-examination, please." the judge instructed.

"OK!" whispered Neptune. "Now's the time to hit her with that lab report, right?"

Rei shook her head. "Not quite yet."

"Wha-? Why not?!"

"Neptune, we're not trying to prove you were drugged, but that Underling wasn't acting alone," the lawyer explained. "I want to save that evidence until the time is right..."

"...Well, you're the lawyer here," the CPU conceded.

Rei nodded, before turning to the woman at the witness stand. "You know, miss Underling, for all the times the goddesses must have kicked your butt in battle, getting back at them by drugging them asleep... no offense, but that seems a bit mundane for revenge."

"Well, excuuuuse me, Miss Lawyer!" Underling protested. "I don't exactly have much in the way of resources after ASIC bit the dust! I have to make do with what I've got!"

"So you're saying you acted alone?" inquired Segata.

"Well, yeah," the felon affirmed in a slightly sarcastic tone, "not like I have much in the way of friends these days..."

Rei allowed a sinister smirk to spread over her face. "Oh, really? I wonder about that... Your Honor!"

"Y-yes?" gasped Kintobor, caught off guard at being addressed directly.

"Tell me... what would be the worst thing to happen to a CPU? Outside of death, that is."

"Hmmm..." the judge pondered the question. "Well, I would have to say... the worst thing that could happen to a goddess would be if her people lost all faith in her..."

"Correct... so, what if a goddess were perceived to not be helping her people in a time of crisis? That would cause a loss of faith, wouldn't it?"

"W-what are you getting at?" Underling demanded.

Rei just shook her head. "Isn't it obvious? You drugged Neptune so she wouldn't be able to put a stop to the terrorist attack on the expo! And I have eyewitness testimony to back me up!"

"Whadaya mean 'eyewitness testimony'?" the felon growled, starting to sweat a little.

"I'd like to remind the court about miss Abnes' testimony yesterday," the disguised lawyer explained. "An unidentified male called her to the northern courtyard at around the time of the attack, saying it would be the biggest scoop of her life." She crossed her arms. "And what bigger scoop would there be, than a CPU being utterly derelict in her duties, even when innocent lives are at stake?"

"I... I don't know anything about that!" Underling protested, her voice wavering slightly. "Whoever called this reporter, I don't know!"

"OBJECTION!" cried Neptune. "Come on, Underling, do you REALLY expect us to believe that? That you had *nothing* to do with the terrorist attack whatsoever?! Seriously?!" The crowd chattered at this, forcing Judge Kintobor to bang his gavel to quiet them down.

"Oh, yeah?!" the punk girl challenged. "Where's your proof, huh? If you had any, ya would've pulled it out by now!"

"Unfortunately, I must concur with miss Underling," Segata nodded. "Without evidence, your theory of the crime is but a wild guess..."

"I think he just tossed you a softball, Yuu..." Neptune whispered.

Rei shrugged. "Well, I wouldn't call it a *direct* link to the attack... but I *do* have proof that this woman was at least working with someone inside the Institute itself! TAKE THAT!" She presented the forensics report on the drugged pudding, handing to the bailiff who passed it to the judge.

"Hmmm..." Judge Kintobor adjusted his glasses as he read over the report. "If I'm reading this right, the sleeping drug added to the pudding is called 'Senyak-13'."

"And just how does that prove this woman was not working alone?" asked Segata.

(You're just saying that because you have to as the prosecutor, aren't you?) Rei pondered, before speaking aloud, "This particular drug is an unapproved substance being tested in only a few labs across Gamindustri... one of them being the Institute itself!"

"Oh my!" gasped the judge. "So you're saying Miss Linda stole this drug from that laboratory?"

"No, Your Honor," Rei shook her head, "I'm saying that it wouldn't be possible for Underling to have stolen the Senyak-13 from that lab!"

"OBJECTION!" Segata cut in. "Ms. Kobayashi, you are contradicting yourself!"

"No, I'm not," the former goddess retorted. "You know as well as I do that this woman could never have gotten past the security door!"

"Oh, yeah?" Underling challenged. "What makes you so sure of that?!"

"Well, not only do you need the proper access code, but you also need a matching thumbprint to go with it," Rei explained.

"Pfffft!" the felon rolled her eyes. "You think I don't know how to get someone's thumbprint?"

(Hook, line, and sinker,) the lawyer thought triumphantly. She couldn't stop a smirk from forming as she sprang her trap, "Oh, I don't doubt that you could, Underling. Which is why there is also a hidden camera with facial-recognition software!"

Underling recoiled like she'd been punched in the stomach. "Wh-wh-whaaaaat?!" The crowd chattered at this.

"Hah! Didn't know about *that*, did you?" Neptune taunted.

"Order!" the judge banged his gavel. "It seems Miss Linda could not have entered the lab after all..."

"Exactly, Your Honor," Rei nodded. "Which means the only way she could have gotten Senyak-13... is if someone who *did* have access procured it for her!" She then slammed her fists on the bench. "This is proof positive that Underling was NOT working alone!"

"HOLD IT!" yelled the former ASIC member. "If I didn't know about the hidden camera, then how the hell did *you* know?!"

"Quite simple," stated Segata. "We learned about this security feature from the headmaster himself!"

"WHAT?! The headmaster?!" Underling screeched, sweating.

"Indeed. Which is why I have summoned him to testify to the court on this matter!" declared the Savior of Saturn. "Bailiffs, remove this felon from the courtroom and return her to her cell!"

"Yes sir!" the bailiffs complied, taking the punk girl by the forearms and escorting her away.

"OW, easy...!" yelled Underling as she was dragged off. Meanwhile, the headmaster in question came down from the gallery and made his way to the witness stand.

Segata nodded. "Prompt as always, professor. Please state your name and occupation for the record."

"I am Professor Austin Paragan, acting headmaster for the Planeptune Higher Learning Institute," the older man stated. "And I would go on the record saying that I am very upset over the chaos that the defendant has wrought at my school..."

Neptune looked about to explode, only for Rei to grab her by the arm. "Neptune. *Don't,*" she hissed. "You'll only hurt our case..." The CPU sighed in frustration as she sat down, pouting.

"So, professor," the prosecutor began, "As we have just heard, there would have been no possible way for the Underling to enter your laboratory which contained Senyak-13, correct?"

"Correct," nodded the professor. "Which, as the defense has just pointed out, unfortunately means that one of the scientists or higher-ups in security must have obtained the drug for her..." He shook his head. "I thought they were all trustworthy... to learn that one of them may have grossly violated their ethics is very disturbing to me..."

"Boy, he's a good actor, huh?" Neptune whispered to Rei, who could only nod grimly.

"But, couldn't those corrupt security guards, Drew and Andrew Bullock, have procured this drug for Miss Linda?" asked the judge.

"Absolutely not," Paragan stated firmly. "They were only recent hires, and thus lacked the clearance necessary to access that laboratory. Thank goodness for that, given who they turned out to be..."

(Right, because *you* hired them in order to hijack Morty's mech suit with Nepgear inside...) Rei thought.

"That being said, I don't know why the court is wasting time on such a trivial matter," Austin continued. "I thought it was miss Nepgear who was on trial here..."

"OBJECTION!" Neptune cut in. "If Underling hadn't done what she did, I would have transformed and stopped the mech suit myself! She did what she did in order to get me out of the picture!"

"And you failed to recognize her, even though she was a consistent enemy of yours in the past?" Paragan pointed out. "That doesn't reflect well on you, miss Neptune..."

The purple-haired goddess flinched at that. "Oh, come on! It's been years since I saw her last! Nobody's perfect, ya know!"

Judge Kintobor banged his gavel. "I believe we're getting a bit off-topic here. Now, professor, getting back to the matter of the Senyak-13..."

"Yes, yes, of course," the headmaster muttered as he pushed his glasses up his nose. "Anyway, I gave a listing of everyone who had access to that laboratory to Mr. Sanshiro yesterday. Surely you were at least able to narrow down the list of suspects when you checked the access logs..."

"I was," acknowledged the judo master. "To the lone access number that was *not* on the list!"

"What?!" gasped the judge. "An unlisted access number?" The crowd murmured at this.

"That's right!" said Neptune. "And the time this unknown went in the lab was July 6 at 11:05 at night! Exactly the time you would expect for someone to go in and get that drug for Underling, so she could spike my favorite food and serve it to me the next day, the day of the Expo!"

"Oh my!" said Kintobor. "But who could this mystery person be?"

"Actually, Your Honor..." Rei spoke up. "I think I know who it is..."

"You do?" the judge blinked in surprise.

"You do?" Segata said in slight shock.

The lawyer nodded. "Prosecutor Sanshiro was given a complete listing of all that had access to the lab... save one. And the reason that one was not on the list... was because it was a given that he would have access!"

"A given?" pondered Judge Kintobor.

"...Professor Paragan. This is your access number, isn't it?" Rei asked.

"...Mine?" The professor looked Rei straight in the eye at this. She found it a supreme effort not to crumble under his sharp gaze.

"Ms. Kobayashi. Do you have any idea what you are suggesting?" stated Segata.

Rei closed her eyes, before taking a deep breath. "With all due respect..." she stated, her voice wavering slightly, "...it's the only explanation that makes any sense."

"Y-you..." Austin Paragan abruptly let out a cry of anger, as he slammed his fist on the witness stand. "How DARE you! How *dare* you insinuate that I am complicit in a terrorist attack on my own school!" He slammed his fist again. "Is there no depth you attorneys won't stoop to, to get your clients off the hook?!" The gallery started chattering at this.

"Order! Order in the court!" cried Judge Kintobor, as he banged his gavel several times. "Ms. Kobayashi, I would advise you to carefully consider your course of action. Do you seriously intend to accuse the headmaster himself of being involved in this plot?"

"Not just involved, Your Honor..." Rei slammed her fists on the bench. "I believe that Mr. Paragan is, in fact the *mastermind* behind this entire scheme!"

"WHAAAAATT?!" cried Segata as he 'blocked' an attack. The crowd chattered again.

"This is outrageous!" yelled the professor. "You have no proof whatsoever of this! And *why* would I do such a thing? I have dedicated myself fully to this school, and you dare to say that I, the headmaster, have masterminded a terrorist plot to destroy one of its most popular events?!"

"OBJECTION!" yelled Rei. "As I have stated before, the intent was *not* to destroy the Robotics Expo, but rather, to destroy the reputations of both Nepgear and Neptune as goddesses of this nation! To discredit them in the eyes of their own citizens, in order to have them removed from their positions!"

"And now you accuse me of wanting to overthrow Planeptune's government entirely?" Paragan growled. "There is no basis in fact for your extreme accusation!"

Rei just shook her head. "Nice try, professor, but you don't fool me. I *know* that you hate the CPUs more than you love your school! After all..." She pointed her finger at the headmaster. "You were a member of the anti-goddess Citizen's Group!"

"What? The Citizen's Group?!" gasped the judge. "You mean the terrorist group led by Rei Ryghts, before she gained the power of a CPU herself?!"

"Exactly," the disguised lawyer nodded. "I should know, seeing as I was once a member myself!"

"You were?!" Kintobor's eyes went wide at this. The crowd started chattering again.

"Ah, yes," nodded Segata, "you mentioned that yesterday, while we were discussing the case with Agent IF..."

"Correct. And I can say for a fact that I saw the good professor here at at least one or two of the group meetings!" Paragan looked down at this, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Order! Order!" Kintobor gaveled down the restless gallery. "...Well, professor? Is this true? Were you a member of the Citizen's Group?"

"...Before I answer that, I have a question for the defense," Paragan stated. "You said that you were once a member of this anti-goddess group... yet, why are you defending one of them in court here and now?"

"Two reasons," Rei answered. "One, the facts of the case just didn't add up in my mind. As a defense attorney, this was something I could not ignore. And the second..." She looked over at Neptune. "Let's just say I owe a personal debt to Neptune and Nepgear. If it hadn't been for them, I wouldn't even be here today."

"Yuu..." Neptune said softly.

Judge Kintobor nodded. "Well, I suppose being helped out of a tight spot by the goddesses would be enough to make almost anyone change their tune." He then focused his attention back on the headmaster. "Now then, professor, as to Ms. Kobayashi's assertion..."

"Yes, yes, I was just about to address that..." muttered Paragan as he pushed his glasses back up his nose. "First of all, for argument's sake, let's assume that Ms. Kobayashi is correct, that I was a member of this Citizen's Group." Looking over at the defense's bench, he continued, "So, you say that you know I was a member because you saw me at the group meetings. But what if we turn that statement around?"

"Turn it around?" Judge Kintobor blinked.

"If Ms. Kobayashi saw me at a Citizen's Group meeting, would it not follow that I also saw her as well?" the professor argued.

Segata nodded at this. "Yes, I suppose that would make sense..."

"Uh-oh," muttered Neptune, "I don't like where this is going..."

"However, I can state for a fact, that the first time I met Ms. Kobayashi was yesterday!" Paragan concluded. "Before then, I had never met with or heard of anyone named 'Yuu Kobayashi', or anyone matching her description!" If the professor had expected the defense attorney to recoil or break down at this, he was sorely disappointed, as 'Yuu' simply let out a sinister chuckle in response.

"But that's just it, professor," she countered, "my name *isn't* Yuu Kobayashi. It never was. I've been operating under an alias this entire time."

"An alias?" gasped the judge.

"Yuu, what are you..." Neptune's eyes went wide as realization dawned. "NO! Yuu, don't do it! You can't!"

The lawyer looked over at her companion. "I'm so sorry, Neptune... but this is the only way I have to prove the professor's motive." Facing forward again, she cleared her throat. "Your Honor. Prosecutor Sanshiro. You might want to brace yourselves. I'm about to reveal my true identity to the court."

"Hmph," grunted Segata as he crossed his arms. "After all that's happened during this trial, I highly doubt there's anything left that can surprise me..."

"Ah, so that explains all the blackouts on your case files," muttered Kintobor. "So, who are you, really?"

'Yuu' smirked. "Honestly, Professor Paragan, I'm surprised you didn't recognize me sooner... after all I *was* one of your brightest students!" With that, she unzipped her hoodie, throwing it off, revealing her normal business suit underneath. She then switched her sunglasses for her usual eyeglasses, before undoing her ponytail, letting her blue hair flow free. Finally, a familiar horn-like protrusion clicked into place. "IT'S ME, AUSTIN!"

"WHAT?!" screamed the professor. "Oh, son of a-"

"AAAAAHH!" cried Segata he 'blocked' an attack, taking a defensive position. "You! You're..."

"Rei Ryghts herself?!" cried the judge.

"That's right, *maggots*! It was ME all along!" declared the former goddess, a psychotic smirk on her face.

To say the gallery panicked was an understatement. A few of the citizens even started running for the doors.

"YOU ALL BOUGHT IT!" cried Rei as she stepped out from behind the defense's bench, pointing at the gallery. "YOU ALL BOUGHT IT, HOOK, LINE, AND SINKER! YOU ALL BOUGHT IT!"

"EVEN MY TEACHER!" she gestured toward the professor. "EVEN MY OLD MENTOR AND TEACHER BOUGHT IT!" Paragan was gripping the hair on the sides of his head, his teeth gritted, an expression of shock and disbelief in his eyes.

"EVERY DAMN ONE OF YOU WERE MADE FOOLS OF!" Rei finished, punctuating her statement with an evil laugh.

"OBJECTION!" yelled Segata as he chopped his bench. "So it was *you*! *You* were the one that stopped the mech suit's attack on the Robotics Expo!"

"B...but why?!" cried the judge.

"Well, you know..." Rei shrugged. "I *really* didn't want to have to do it... but from my perspective, this incompetent excuse for a CPU," she gestured to Neptune, "was sleeping on the job, and Nepgear was nowhere to be seen! So you see, I had no choice, but to use my bad reputation to make those moronic students flee for their lives, so they wouldn't get their sorry asses killed! I even had to save a quartet of them from getting blown up! Oh, and if any of you happen to be in the gallery today, YOU'RE WELCOME!" She then turned back to the professor. "And now, Austin... Austin, now you know! There is no price, I will not pay... there is no depth, that I will not stoop... to protect the innocent, and to make the lives of criminals, here in Gamindustri, a total, complete, living, HELL!" She punctuated those last four words with repeated stabs of her index finger. Professor Paragan had managed to regain his composure somewhat, crossing his arms and shaking his head, avoiding eye contact with his former student.

"Order! ORDER!" yelled Judge Kintobor as he banged his gavel repeatedly. "Order in the court! Order, I say! OOORRRRDEEERRR!"

But order was not to be had, and in the end, the judge had no choice but to call a recess...

To be continued...

As always, read and review!


	9. Trial, Final Day (Part 2)

Well, time for the jury to decide Nepgear's fate... there's only an epilogue chapter left after this, so enjoy!

France Shellby- No, no battles here... at least not physical ones.

Draen- Well, several clients in Lowee have already put faith in Rei... how do you think she was able to transform back in Chapter 3?

Anonymous- I based Rei's rant last chapter on this video on YouTube titled 'Even my immediate family bought it'. Check it out sometime...

Guest- Aw, snap, forgot about her X( But maybe I can still squeeze her in somewhere...

Rei Ryghts: Ace Attorney

The Mech-Suit's Turnabout

by Derald Snyder

Trial- Final Day (Part 2)

Court Record:

-Drugged Pudding

-Mech Remote

-Crime Scene Diagram

-Mech Suit Helmet

-Security Staff Roster

-NepCarFax Report

-Abnes Testimony

-Bullock Bros. Robbery Article

-Lab Security Door

-Security Access Log

 _July 10, 10:57 AM_

 _District Court_

 _Judge's Chambers_

"You're a fool, IF!" ranted Judge Kintobor. "What the hell were you thinking?!"

IF responded, "With all due respect, Your Honor, I didn't think she'd pull a stunt like this!"

"Then what did you expect her to do?!" the judge retorted. Their argument was interrupted as the door opened, Neptune slipping inside. "This does not concern you, CPU Neptune! Leave!"

The goddess just narrowed her eyes, before being engulfed in a pillar of light, Judge Kintobor taking a step back in surprise as the light faded, revealing Neptune's HDD form, Purple Heart. "I hereby invoke my authority as CPU to sit in on this meeting. ...Your Honor."

Kintobor swiftly recovered his composure, grumbling. "Fine, then. As you wish, Lady Purple Heart. But don't think your presence will sway my decision in this matter..."

"Anyway, Your Honor," IF continued, "You and I both know it's too late to change attorneys at this point in the trial. And I would think it obvious why Rei Ryghts disguised herself to begin with..."

"Both you and Ms. Ryghts engaged in willful deception of this court!" the judge pointed out. "Such a slight cannot be allowed to just slide...!"

"If I may, Your Honor," Purple Heart cut in, "It was I who disguised Rei Ryghts to begin with, though my initial intention was to simply protect her from potential abuse and violence from my citizens, not for her to act as Nepgear's lawyer. She just happened to be in the right place at the right time."

"What Neptune said," IF concurred. "Due to the trial date being set the day after the incident, she was the only competent attorney we could find on such short notice... Though, Neptune probably would have wanted Rei to act in Nepgear's defense anyway."

Kintobor turned to Purple Heart. "Is this true? You would really be willing to trust this woman after what she nearly did to your nation, and all of Gamindustri?"

"As I stated a few days ago," she responded, "Rei Ryghts was not in her right mind when she engaged in the destruction of my country. And I testified as such at her trial some time back. You can check the transcripts if you wish. Moreover, she has since shown an honest willingness to repent for actions, even if she has no recollection of what she did..."

"Also, Your Honor," IF interposed, "It was I who modified her case files so her identity would not be discovered. I am willing to take full responsibility for what happened."

"Oh really?" the judge turned back to IF, looking her in the eye.

"Yes, Your Honor," the agent stated firmly.

Kintobor stared.

IF stared back.

Kintobor narrowed his eyes.

IF did not waver.

"...I see," the judge finally conceded. "You must really have some *faith* in this attorney to stick your neck out for her like this. So be it." Walking to the door, he opened it slightly. "Bailiff!" he called.

Said bailiff entered not a minute later. "Yes, Your Honor?"

"Agent IF is hereby in contempt of court," stated Kintobor. "She is to be arrested and placed in a holding cell until further notice."

"Understood, Your Honor," the bailiff acknowledged as he walked over to IF, the woman putting out her arms to be cuffed, which they promptly were.

"I've done all I can," said Iffy as she was escorted out, "It's up to you and Rei now. Good luck." With that, she was gone.

The judge then turned back to Purple Heart. "Now then, Lady Purple Heart, do you think you can convince your *ahem* lawyer to not cause another ruckus in my courtroom?"

"Yes, Your Honor," the goddess answered firmly.

The judge nodded. "Then let us return to the courtroom."

 _July 10, 11:19 AM_

 _District Court_

 _Courtroom No. 3_

Rei had not bothered to leave the courtroom during the recess, instead sitting down at her bench to take a short nap. The combination of Purple Heart tapping her on the shoulder and the noise of the judge's gavel was enough to rouse her, however.

"Court is now back in session," stated the judge. "Ms. Rei Ryghts?"

"Y-yes, Your Honor?" the former goddess stood straight, trying not to look like she'd just woken up.

"I thought you should know, that Agent IF has been cited for contempt and arrested for deceiving this court," Kintobor stated. "Don't think I won't hesitate to do the same to you if you cause another panic in this courtroom!"

"Ahh! I'm so very sorry, Your Honor!" Rei apologized, sweating. "I-I got a little c-carried away! I-it won't happen again, I promise!"

"See that it doesn't," the judge nodded, frowning. "So, you have chosen to remain in HDD form, Lady Purple Heart?"

"Yes, Your Honor," the goddess affirmed. "I thought it might set the minds of the people in the gallery a bit more at ease... those that remain, anyway." Indeed, a good number of seats were now empty in the audience.

"Very good. Professor Paragan, if you would please re-take the stand." The headmaster promptly complied. "Now then, before that little outburst, we were discussing the fact that you were once a member of the Citizen's Group..."

"I stand by my claim that he was," said Rei. "After all, seeing as I *was* the leader of the Citizen's Group, of course I would be knowledgeable of its membership..."

"...Rei. It's been a while." Professor Paragan once again locked eyes with the lawyer. "I see you've come a long way from that stuttering, nervous wreck of a student I taught years ago... even if your grades were exemplary."

"I always admired your iron discipline, as Mr. Sanshiro put it, and your ability to remain cool under pressure," Rei admitted. "Although, looking back, I wonder if maybe I learned the wrong lessons from you. After all, even if you didn't give me the idea directly, you were a major inspiration for me forming the Citizen's Group in the first place..."

"The wrong lessons... Feh," the professor snorted slightly. "I taught you no differently than any other student in my classes back then..."

Segata Sanshiro then faux-chopped his bench. "Enough with the reminiscing, professor, and answer the question!"

"Yes, yes..." Paragan sighed. "I suppose it would be foolish to try and deny it now. Yes, I was indeed a member of her Citizen's Group. Briefly, anyway..."

"What do you mean by that?" the prosecutor pressed.

"Well, at first it didn't seem Rei was making any headway with her efforts," the headmaster began, "However, when it looked like she was starting to grow a spine, I went ahead and discreetly joined the group to assist with her efforts against the CPUs. But it soon dawned on me that Ms. Ryghts was actually going insane, so I quietly left and returned to my position here at the Institute. Given what happened later, I clearly made the right decision." Looking back over at Rei, he continued, "Honestly, I'm shocked that you haven't been incarcerated for the chaos you wrought..."

"Well, like you said, professor, I went insane," the lawyer pointed out. "And when I returned to my senses, I didn't remember anything that had happened. I was honestly quite horrified to learn what I had nearly done, once proof was presented to me. Thankfully, both the goddesses and the judge at my trial decided to have pity on me, and I was merely exiled to Lowee instead."

The crowd started chattering at this, prompting the judge to bang his gavel.

"Yes, Lady Purple Heart said to me during the recess that she had testified at your trial," Kintobor said.

"Ah, so that was the personal debt to which you were referring earlier," muttered Paragan as pushed his glasses back up his nose. "I might have guessed..."

"Anyway, Professor Paragan," Rei said, "I believe I've established your motive for masterminding such a heinous act."

"Indeed," Segata nodded. "However, can you prove it?"

Rei thought for a moment. "Well, before we got into taking about Paragan's motive, we were discussing the mysterious access number..."

"Yes, the one that did not match any of the names on the list provided for us," Purple Heart added. She then pulled out the piece of paper she'd jotted the number on. "12119-20914... that's the number."

"And the defense was arguing that this number belonged to the headmaster himself..." the judo master recalled.

"Yes, I remember," said the judge. "So, professor, is this your access number or not?"

Austin Paragan remained silent for a moment. "...I will concede this one thing. That access number... is indeed mine." The crowd started muttering at this. "However! I did not enter the laboratory to procure Senyak-13 for that felon, but for another reason entirely."

Judge Kintobor banged his gavel once, to quiet the crowd. "Then, why did you enter that laboratory?"

"Senyak-13 is not the only thing being tested in there," stated the professor. "There is also an ongoing experiment involving a potentially dangerous chemical reaction. I won't bore you with the details, except to say, if said reaction went out of control, it would cause an explosion that would not only destroy the lab, but a chunk of the school as well. As you can imagine, such a possibility preyed on this old man's mind, to the point I started losing sleep over it. So, in order to set my mind at ease, I accessed the lab late at night, to ensure the reaction was going smoothly, which it was, thankfully."

"How convenient that you decided to do this the night before the Robotics Expo," Purple Heart pointed out.

"Indeed, quite a coincidence," assented Segata.

"I concede it does look suspicious," muttered Austin, "but it isn't proof..." He shook his head. "Unless you have evidence proving otherwise, I stand by my claim."

"This doesn't look good," said Purple Heart. "After all, we had no way of entering that laboratory ourselves, so we don't have anything to refute his claim..."

"Surely you understand, Rei..." Paragan pushed his glasses back up his nose. "Evidence is everything in a court of law... especially a bench trial such as this one. Without proof, your claim that I masterminded a conspiracy against CPU Candidate Nepgear is nothing but mere conjecture. I may not teach law, but even I understand this basic tenet. Perhaps you should have studied law better, my old student..."

Rei Ryghts just shook her head... before smirking sinisterly. "No, professor, I believe it is *you* who should have done more research. It seems you haven't realized... that this is actually a jury trial!"

"What?" blinked the professor in surprise. "A jury trial? But I see no jury here in this courtroom..."

"The jury is in a separate room, watching the trial on camera," Segata explained. "Clearly, you have not stepped into a courtroom in quite some time... if at all."

"...!" Paragan's eyes widened slightly, a few beads of sweat visible.

"I concede," Rei began in a slightly mocking tone, "that I can't directly prove your involvement in this crime with evidence... but I don't have to. Your Honor!"

"Y-yes, Ms. Ryghts?"

"At this time, the defense would like to give its closing statement," the lawyer stated.

"Now?" Kintobor blinked. "Well, very well then. Professor Paragan, you may step down." This the headmaster did, stiffly marching back to the gallery. "Whenever you're ready, defense." Rei then stepped out from behind the bench, taking a dramatic pause before beginning...

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury," she said, "I'll bet at least some of you are thankful you're in a separate room from me right now. I can't say I blame you, given what I've done... not to mention what I just did a little bit ago. I guess my HDD personality has a tendency to come out when I'm on a roll." She shrugged. "But all of that... is beside the point. I am *not* the one on trial here today. The only one whose fate you are considering... is her!" She pointed at the defendant's chair. "CPU Candidate Nepgear! Now, the prosecution's argument is that the simplest explanation, is usually the correct one. In this case, they argue that Nepgear willingly and knowingly hijacked Mortez Doez's prototype mech suit, armed with military-grade weaponry, and wreaked havoc on the Planeptune Higher Learning Institute Robotics Expo."

"But ask yourself, does that make any sense? That Nepgear, who works her butt off for the good of her nation, at least compared to her sister, would maliciously attack her own people? Let me tell you of an event that happened, just before everything went to hell in a hand-basket. The three of us were checking out the exhibits at the expo, and Neptune ended up wrecking one of the projects." She shook her head. "You should have heard Nepgear, she raked her dear sister over the coals for that. And I'm sure there are several witnesses from the expo who can back me up on that. So ask yourselves, does it make *any* sense that she would suddenly turn around and wreck all the rest of the exhibits at the expo, after yelling at Neptune for destroying one?"

"Now, let me remind the jury of what I have proven in this trial. I have proven that because of the prototype's mouth guard, Nepgear was unable to speak... I have proven that Neptune was *not* taking a nap, but instead was drugged by an old adversary of hers... I have proven that the security guards on-duty that day were in fact, bank robbers on the run from the law, who purchased their own car instead of using one provided by the institute, and that they were stationed right beside the Robotics Garage when Nepgear flew out of there wearing her mech suit. I have proven that the sleeping drug used by Underling could only have been obtained at a chemistry lab in the Institute itself, which she had no way of accessing on her own, meaning someone must have procured it for her... I have proven that the headmaster himself entered this very laboratory the night before the expo... and I have proven that this very man was a former member of my old Citizen's Group," she finished. "Now, I ask you, are all these things unconnected? All they all just coincidence? Do they have no relation to each other whatsoever?" Rei shook her head. "Or, do they paint a picture of a sinister conspiracy, to frame Nepgear and have Planeptune's citizens lose all faith in her, as well as Neptune to a lesser extent?"

"Here's what I think happened. The headmaster of the Institute, Professor Austin Paragan, happened to briefly meet Nepgear and Mortez Doez at the Institute one day. Knowing of the prototype mech suit Mr. Doez was constructing, and also of the upcoming Robotics Expo, he began to concoct a sinister plan to portray Nepgear as a terrorist and murderer. He hired the two Bullock brothers as security guards, promising to hide them from the police if they went along with his plan, to perform the actual hijacking... He also brought in Underling, luring her with promises of revenge against the goddesses that had caused her so much trouble in the past... The night before the expo, he went into the lab containing the sleeping drug Senyak-13 and gave it to Underling so she could mix it into her pudding in order to serve it to Neptune, to get her out of the way. Finally, he called Abnes from a pay phone in the main hallway, promising her a big scoop if she came to the expo at exactly the time he prescribed." Rei gave a shrug of her shoulders. "I have to hand it to the professor, it was a well-thought out plan, and it nearly went off without a hitch... but he didn't plan for another person with Neptune and Nepgear, who had the capability of putting a stop to the mech suit themselves, i.e. yours truly. Although, that was just a minor hiccup, as he still got what he wanted in the end. He even used his position as headmaster to feign mock outrage at what had occurred, in order to get the trial date moved up, before a proper investigation could be performed in order to ensure Nepgear's fate. Against a less-competent attorney, it might have worked. Not to toot my own horn here, but clearly I was a grain of sand in his gears he failed to notice. But there is another grain of sand as well... this one capable of bringing his grand plan to a grinding halt... and that is *you*, the jury!"

The lawyer paused for a moment, to gather her thoughts. "The other day, Neptune and I were discussing this case with Lady Vert and Lady Blanc, and Vert said something worth noting... that she believed that 'anyone in Planeptune with common sense would think it strange that little Nepgear would just go off the deep end and attack her own people,' end quote. I'm hoping that Lady Vert is right... that despite your goddess lacking in such, that *you*, the common people, possess common sense, and apply it accordingly in your deliberations." Rei then took a formal bow. "And with that... I rest my case."

"Nicely done, Rei," Purple Heart whispered to the lawyer as she returned to the bench.

Segata Sanshiro nodded. "I rest my case as well. Finally, it is time for this case to be sent to deliberations..."

"Very good," the judge nodded, before banging his gavel. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, it is time for you to render your decision in this case. But before you do, I hereby instruct you: you may NOT consider the true identity of the defense attorney, Ms. Rei Ryghts, or her actions during the incident in your deliberations. As Ms. Ryghts herself has stated, you are only to consider the fate of the defendant, and weigh the facts, evidence and testimony to that effect. Did miss Nepgear willingly use a mech suit to destroy the Robotics Expo? Or was she unwittingly manipulated into it by sinister forces? This court now awaits your ruling in this matter!"

With that, the camera feed was cut off, and the jurists began their deliberations...

 _July 10, 1:58 PM_

 _District Court_

 _Courtroom No. 3_

Judge Kintobor looked at a virtual screen suspended in the air, showing a black-shadowed male NPC. "Mr. Foreman, I understand the jury has reached a unanimous verdict?"

"We have, Your Honor," the NPC affirmed.

The judge nodded. "Will the defendant please rise." Nepgear promptly stood to her feet, as did Rei and Neptune (who had reverted to normal), the latter discreetly crossing her fingers and toes. "Go ahead, foreman."

"We the jury, on the charges of domestic terrorism, attempted murder, and property damage, hereby find the defendant, CPU Candidate Nepgear..."

 **NOT GUILTY**

Neptune leaped up, letting out a whoop of joy, causing the gallery to follow suit, cheering and applauding as confetti rained down from the ceiling.

Nepgear closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief as she put her hand to her chest, trying to get her heart rate to calm down. (Thank goodness... It's finally over...) she thought.

Rei Ryghts looked over at Segata Sanshiro, the judo master giving her a curt nod of respect. Rei nodded back, the unspoken message clear. They had both done their jobs as officers of the court, and the truth had won out in the end.

Judge Kintobor patiently waited for the cheers and confetti to settle down before speaking. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I thank you for your time. You are hereby excused." The holo-display screen winked out. "CPU Candidate Nepgear."

"Y-yes, Your Honor?" Nepgear stood straight.

"Having been cleared of all charges by the jury, you are released from confinement forthwith," the judge proclaimed with a smile. "Please return to your function as goddess of Planeptune... and do your best to regain the faith and trust that the people put in you."

"Y-yes... Yes, I will! Thank you, Your Honor!" exclaimed Nepgear happily. "And thank you too, Rei and Neptune!"

 **"HOLD IT!"**

The courtroom fell deathly silent at the proclamation. Everyone turned their heads to the courtroom doors, to see none other than Mortez Doez himself, his eye twitching, his teeth gritted and his fists clenched.

"Not guilty...? *Not guilty*?! After all the trouble we went through, she gets *acquitted*?!"

"M-Morty?" Nepgear gasped in surprise.

"Mr. Doez?!" Kintobor exclaimed in slight shock. "Is something the matter...?"

Mortez ignored him, instead pointing at Professor Paragan, who was still sitting in the gallery. "You stupid old man! This is all your fault! I told you I coulda programmed the suit to wreak havoc all on its own, and have it auto-delete afterwards, and no-one would've been the wiser! But noooooo! You just had to go and hedge your bet, by hiring those stupid incompetent bank robbers!"

"W...what?" Nepgear gasped.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Paragan said evenly.

"AH-HA!" yelled Neptune. "So, Morty, you *were* in on it from the start! I knew you couldn't be trusted!"

Her sister's eyes went wide in shock. "N...no... Morty, say it isn't so!"

"Shut up, you bimbo!" Mortez screamed at her. "I mighta had some respect for you if you had just grown a spine and overthrown your sister, and become sole goddess yourself! But nooooo! You cave in to her every single time! You got what you deserved, as far as I'm concerned!"

"Nooooooo!" wailed Nepgear, as she collapsed to the ground in despair.

"OBJECTION!" cried Neptune. "That's enough, Morty!"

"[censored] you, you loony bitch!" Mortez yelled back. "It's 'cause of you this nation's in such a sorry state! At least Lastation was halfway decent! But my stupid brother...!" He let out a small cry of anger, before continuing, "I thought this was our chance... our chance to get rid of you two idiots and make a new government for Planeptune... one ruled by rational, sane people!" He then pointed at Rei. "And I can't believe YOU of all people threw your lot in with them! Everything woulda gone perfectly if you hadn't stuck your nose in! Damn you, Rei Ryghts! Damn you to hellllll!"

Rei just crossed her arms, a frown on her face. "With all due respect, Mr. Doez... I am the *least* of your worries right now. Isn't that right... Mr. Segata Sanshiro?"

"Indeed," a voice spoke up from behind Mortez, as a hand came down on his shoulder causing all the blood to drain from his face.

"Oh, fu- AAAAAAAAHHH!" the boy screamed as he was brutally judo-flipped, before being put in a tight chokehold by the Savior of Saturn. In an instant, Segata stood over the fallen college student.

"S...Segata Sanshiro..." Mortez groaned.

"Mortez Doez, you are under arrest!" declared the prosecutor. "Bailiff, take him away!" The bailiff promptly complied, cuffing Mortez's hands behind his back before lifting him up and hauling him out.

"I completely disavow any and all statements from that insane student," Professor Paragan stated firmly. "Clearly admitting him to the Institute was a mistake..."

"Like you expect anyone here to seriously believe that..." Neptune growled under her breath.

Judge Kintobor shook his head. "You know what... I'm just going to go ahead and clear this courtroom before any other crazy antics ensue... Court is adjourned effective immediately!"

With that, he banged his gavel one final time, bringing an official end to the trial.

To be concluded...


	10. Post Trial Wrap-Up

And with this chapter, this story finally comes to an end...

Drean & Holix- You may have a point, but I think Megadimension Neptunia VII shows what happens when the goddesses aren't in charge...

Guest- Clearly Professor Paragan underestimated the amount of experience Rei had as a lawyer...

France Shellby- I may make another story like this, but it will likely be shorter... Also, Linda/Underling is still in jail.

Theknightenforcer- Thank you, but this is actually the longest story I've ever written...

Rei Ryghts: Ace Attorney

The Mech-Suit's Turnabout

by Derald Snyder

Post Trial Wrap-Up

 _July 10, 2:15 PM_

 _District Court_

 _Defendant Lobby No. 3_

(This is where I came in,) thought Rei as she sympathetically rubbed Nepgear's back, the goddess still crying from her heartbreak caused by Mortez at the end of the trial.

"Morty... I can't believe it... why..." Nepgear hiccuped as she continued to sob. Neptune stood nearby, remaining silent, not sure how to comfort her sister, since she had suspected him from the beginning...

"...Well, he was c-certainly a g-good actor... a-and good at c-covering his t-tracks..." the lawyer finally spoke up. "He e-even had m-me fooled..."

"And I was going to ask him on a date next week..." Nepgear sighed, causing her sister's eyes to shrink to white circles in shock.

Rei just shook her head. "Nepgear... he never liked you. And I have proof." She took out a piece of evidence from the trial...

"...the mech suit's helmet? I don't understand..." the goddess said confusedly.

"The mouth guard," Rei clarified. "Despite what he said, it wasn't actually a mouth guard at all, but a gag. A gag designed to muffle you so you couldn't scream for help, or yell at people to run for their lives... He was manipulating you from the start, with one purpose: to get you to climb inside that mech suit of your own will. The moment you did that, your fate was sealed..."

"S-so... it was a lie..." Nepgear said, her tears flowing once more. "All a lie from the very beginning... Neptune was... right all along..."

*Nepgear has received the 'Broken-Hearted' affinity!*

"Aw, NO!" moaned Neptune in disbelief. "Not again! I thought we were done with this crap after Victory!" Looking at the screen, she yelled, "Hey, author! Isn't there something you can do to help Nep. Jr. out here?!"

...and then, as if by magic, the doors flung open, a familiar girl dressed in black running in. "Nepgeeeeaaarrr!" she wailed as she crashed into the CPU Candidate's chest, flinging her arms around the other girl.

"Oooof!" Nepgear grunted as the wind was knocked out of her. Looking down, she saw a familiar set of jet-black twin tails... "U-Uni?!" she gasped in surprise.

Looking up, the CPU Candidate of Lastation cried, "I heard about your arrest... I'm so sorry I couldn't come sooner, but Noire had me run ragged with work...!" Seeing the tear streaks on her friend's face, her eyes widened with horror. "No... don't tell me... you were found guilty?!"

"No, no, she was acquitted," Neptune spoke up. "Nepgear's just crying 'cause her wannabe boyfriend turned out to be in on the frame-up job..."

"R-really?" Uni gasped, before burying her head in Nepgear's chest again. "Oh Nepgear, I'm so sorry! To have your heart stomped on like that...!" If anyone had been paying close attention, though, they might have glimpsed a small, secret smile on her lips...

"...thanks, Uni." Nepgear lightly returned the embrace, finally smiling once more. "I'm glad I still have a friend like you..."

The brunette lifted her head up to look at Nepgear's face. "W-well, yeah... I mean, anytime you need a shoulder to cry on, I'm here for you... you know that, right?" Something then caught her eye, and she turned her head to see Rei standing nearby...

"WAAAAHH!" Uni cried as she jumped back, taking a defensive position. "What is *she* doing here?!"

"Whoa, whoa! It's OK, Uni!" Nepgear cried as she stepped between them. "Rei's my lawyer! She's the one that got me cleared!"

"L...lawyer?" Uni looked around her friend, Rei pointing to the attorney's badge on her lapel. "Since when did that happen?"

"Sheesh, Uni... out of the loop, much?" Neptune sighed in slight exasperation. The doors then opened again, IF and Histoire entering.

"Hey, guys! I just heard about the verdict! Nice job!" said IF.

"Indeed. Well done, Rei," affirmed Histoire. "Your actions today may have saved Planeptune altogether."

"Huh? Iffy? I thought you were in jail for contempt?" Neptune asked confusedly.

"Histoire bailed me out," the Guild agent explained. "I'm still gonna have to have to answer for my deception in court though..."

"Deception?" Uni blinked, looking totally lost.

"Ugh, Histy, could you please explain things to her?!" Neptune sighed.

Histoire sighed. "Well, if I must..." The fairy took Uni aside, and started explaining the events that had transpired. As they were talking, the doors opened once more, Segata Sanshiro striding in.

"Prosecutor Sanshiro?" Rei blinked, nonplussed. "Why are you here? The trial's over, isn't it?"

"I came to inform you all," the judo master began, "that the police have finally located Andrew Bullock. It turns out, he was hiding in a secret room in the basement of the Institute itself."

"Ugh! He was right under our noses the whole time!" Neptune groaned in disbelief.

"W-well, better late than never, right?" said Nepgear.

"Yeah, that's great news, Mr. Sanshiro," agreed IF. "Now that we've got four members of the new Citizen's Group in custody, it shouldn't be too much trouble to roll up the rest of the group and put them out of commission for good!"

"Except for that professor," the CPU interjected. "It really sucks that couldn't get enough proof to put *him* away..."

"I wouldn't worry too much about it, Neptune," Iffy reassured her. "After all, Rei *did* prove that Paragan was part of the original Citizen's Group... Once that news hits the ears of PHLI's board of directors, I highly doubt he's going to holding on to his position as headmaster much longer."

"You mean, like a vote of no confidence or something?" asked Nepgear.

"Indeed," nodded Segata. "Not to mention, he will be very closely watched from this point forward. The moment he steps out of line..." He took a fighting pose. "Sega Saturn, SHIRO!"

"Well, I feel sorry for him now... almost," muttered Neptune.

"...Okay, I think I get what happened now," nodded Uni as Histoire finished her explanation of events. The brunette then turned to Rei. "So, if you defended Nepgear, does that mean you don't hate us goddesses anymore?"

Rei Ryghts shifted uncomfortably. "Well, my thinking these days is more along the line of, 'nobody's perfect'. You CPUs may not be the best at your jobs sometimes, but it's clear that you all care about your citizens, if nothing else... After all, Neptune and Nepgear went out of their way to help me, when they had every right to just throw me to the wolves, so to speak..."

Uni pondered this for a moment. "Well, I know Noire wouldn't have given you any mercy, if it had been her nation you leveled... But then, you wouldn't have been able to save Nepgear from terrorist charges, so I guess it worked out this time."

"Indeed, fate does work in mysterious ways," Segata nodded. "Well, if you will excuse me, I have to finish the paperwork for this trial, so I can return to my training. Fare well, goddesses." With that, he strode out.

"Bye Segata! Don't be a stranger!" Neptune called after him. A strange growling noise was then heard echoing through the room, causing nearly everyone to sweat-drop.

"Hungry again, Neptune?" IF muttered.

"Nuh-uh! That wasn't me! I plead not guilty!" The CPU insisted.

"Um, actually... That was me," Uni confessed. "I must have used a lot of energy flying over here in HDD..."

"Well, how about we all go out and get something to eat, in celebration of Nepgear's acquittal?" IF suggested.

"Sounds good to me!" agreed Neptune.

"Um, I'd love to, but..." Rei hesitated. "Now th-that e-everyone knows w-who I am, well..."

"Don't worry, Rei. I know of a place we can eat where your presence won't cause too much of a ruckus," IF said.

"So what are we waiting for, then? Let's go!" exclaimed Neptune.

 _July 10, 4:07 PM_

 _Used Game Restaurant_

Rei looked around at the servers and few other patrons as she nibbled at her plate of food... everyone seemed to be giving her dirty looks, but fortunately the presence of no less than three goddesses seemed to keep anyone from trying anything...

Neptune let out a small burp as she patted her full belly. "Ahhh... that was good. Especially after a day and a half of nothing but vegetables..."

"Histoire forced you on a diet again, huh?" IF guessed.

"Well, at least it wasn't all sugary sweets this time..." The all-seeing tome sighed. "But you're still getting back to work tomorrow! You need to make up the Shares that were lost, after all..."

"Figured you'd say that..." the CPU groaned.

"It's OK, Neptune," said Nepgear. "I have to regain the citizen's trust, so I'll be working right alongside you..."

"You know... " Uni spoke up. "Doesn't it seem strange that, except for the judge, all the original characters in this story were evil?"

"...Holy OC's, Batman! You're right, Uni!" Neptune gasped, her eyes shrunk to white circles. "And even the judge was based on a villain from another game!"

"Dang," muttered Iffy, "If I'd known that, my job would've been a lot easier..."

"But then, this wouldn't have been a very good fan-fiction," Histoire pointed out. "Which means nowhere near as many people would have read it..."

"That's true," agreed Nepgear. "You need a bit of suspense to make a mystery genre-type story work, after all..."

"W-well, p-putting the fourth wall b-breaking aside..." Rei spoke up. "Who's p-paying for th-the food?"

"Not me," said Neptune. "I don't have any credits on me at the moment..."

"Me neither," added Uni.

"My wallet got confiscated when I was arrested," IF sighed.

"Um, mine too," said Nepgear.

"I used all the money I had on hand to post bail for IF," said Histoire.

Rei blinked, as everyone else's eyes trained on her. "W-wait... me?! You want me to pick up the tab?" As if one cue, the bill was promptly placed in front of her, her eyes nearly bugging out as she saw the total. "Y-you ate *that much*, Neptune?!"

"Actually, that's a light meal for me," the goddess admitted, putting a hand behind her head. "So Rei, you'll pick up the tab, right?"

"Please, Rei?" pleaded Nepgear.

"Pretty please?" added Uni.

"C'mon, Rei! Whaddaya say?" Neptune asked again.

(What do I say? What do I say?!) Rei thought in panic. (There's only one thing *to* say!)

 _ **"OBJECTION!"**_

~*Fin*~

Thanks to everyone who read my prose! Let me know what you thought!


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